Jason Day left flying the flag for Australia at The Open as Cam Smith endures worst two days on the course since winning the Claret Jug

Jason Day is the new golfer for the Australian men after an otherwise miserable day at the Royal Troon links ended with defeat for the rest of the green-gold challenge at the British Open.

Both Min Woo Lee and Adam Scott, players ranked in the world’s top 40, suffered badly in the stormy weather conditions on Friday afternoon, which saw their promising positions from the previous night go up in smoke. Cameron Smith looked back on his two most miserable Open days, just a few years after winning the Claret Jug.

But since Scott, of the six Australian entrants, was the only one to accompany Day and make the cut for the weekend, there was one major consolation: last year’s runner-up played himself into a title shot with his excellent round of 68 (three under par) early in the morning.

At one under par, Day is seventh, six behind Irish leader Shane Lowry, four behind English duo Dan Brown and former US Open champion Justin Rose, but just one behind world No. 1s Scottie Scheffler, Billy Horschel and Dean Burmester.

It has left the 36-year-old in hot water again after his gruelling battle at Royal Hoylake in dreadful rainy conditions last year. The world number 31 admitted he had the best weather during his round which started at 8.14am.

“We got lucky with the draw, I guess,” said Day, glad to be back in the clubhouse before the afternoon wind picked up.

‘It was still a bit windy this morning, but it calmed down after the first twelve holes.’

Cameron Smith had an Open he’ll want to forget quickly two years after winning the tournament

Day, who had a first-round score of 73, began his follow-up round early in the morning with a 30-foot birdie putt on the second round.

Another six-foot shot on the next hole brought him level again and a 25-foot birdie on the 13th hole, after he had gotten into trouble off the tee, put him in the red.

Day, who has finished second in every major, hopes to take a big step forward this weekend and add to his PGA Championship title, which he won nine years ago.

“You just have to try to be as steadfast as I was today,” he said of his forward-thinking approach on Saturday’s moving day.

“I played really well today. I would like to play like that for the next two days, but I just have to take it moment by moment.

‘I’m just trying to compete, and then something happens on Sunday.’

Smith will want to forget the championship as quickly as possible.

Bunker problems at the Postage Stamp cost Australia’s Adam Scott a double bogey

He followed up his opening score of 80 – his worst ever at a major – with a 74 to leave him at 12-over par for the two days, a stunning 19 strokes behind fellow player Lowry.

Scott, who had just finished second in the Scottish Open, started at one under but after a couple of early bogeys he suffered a double on the eighth hole of ‘Postage Stamp’, where he was unable to free himself from a greenside bunker and missed a short putt.

The little terror from 110 yards may have scared him as he went home with another three consecutive bogeys, but with a lost weekend looming, the hardy 44-year-old birdied the penultimate hole from 31 feet to ensure his five-over-par 77 was enough to make his 19th Open cut from 24 attempts.

Lee fared even worse, dropping from his tie the previous day to nine over par with a score of 80 with one double bogey and seven bogeys.

Amateur Jasper Stubbs shot a very creditable 72 for a total of 10 over par, beating Smith by two over par, while Elvis Smylie concluded his major debut with a 75, good for nine over par.