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Cameron Smith was charging towards the lead at Augusta before a critical error made his green jacket chase a little tougher.

Cameron Smith is hoping a crippling, momentum-stealing double bogey late in the second round at Augusta National won't stop his Masters dream.

The 2020 runner-up was stalking the lead when he sent a stunning approach shot into the par-5 13th green to within a metre to set up an eagle to move to five under.

But a bogey on the 14th hole was compounded critically when the Queenslander spun his wedge shot third on the par-5 15th back into a pond and ultimately made a double bogey.

"I'm quite frustrated... it was just rubbish, to be honest. I played some really good golf and just to finish like that was quite disappointing," Smith said of his sinking moment.

"I felt like I had a lot going for me. I hit a lot of good shots coming in and just didn't really get anything out of it."

Smith settled for a three-under 69 and two-under total through two rounds, still in the mix in a tie for 13th but set to start Saturday's third round five shots adrift of English leader Justin Rose.

His dreaded mistake came after he laid up too far down the hill and had an awkward lie but yet still tried to attack the front-hole location.

"Probably had about 70 yards off a downhill lie with the grass coming into you. I thought I hit a pretty decent shot, but sometimes those downhill into the grainers, you get a little bit of grass in between them," Smith explained.

"Sometimes you get some where the heel kind of digs in and it comes out fast, and other times you think you hit it quite good and it kind of rolls up the club face and comes out a bit high.

"It's just a tough shot."

Despite still seething, Smith still felt he was right among the contenders heading to the final two rounds as he looked to better his runner-up to Dustin Johnson last November.

"I can play well here, I know it. I've done it before," Smith said.

"I'll come out tomorrow and look to move forward again."