The Americans who produced late heroics – Fowler, Thomas and Cantlay
Historically, Presidents Cup foursome matches have not been a happy hunting ground for previous International sides but today, at Royal Melbourne, they made a very important turn for the better.
They tied the alternate shot matches on day two 2½ to 2½ and now lead the overall contest at Royal Melbourne by 6½ to 3½ but the leader-board hardly tells the story of the day.
Leading 4 to 1 following the completion of yesterday’s fourball encounters, the Internationals didn’t extend their lead but importantly they did not allow the Americans to claw back any of the advantage they (The Internationals) had built on day one.
They would, however, lose a significant lead they had created during the course of play on day two, a setback which might yet play a huge role in the final outcome of the 13th Presidents Cup.
Once again, the Americans went ahead early, although this time it was Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar who were out first and took a 2-up advantage through 5 holes over the leading ranked International combination of Adam Scott and Louis Oosthuizen.
The lead would not last long however as, by the turn, the match was tied and with the Internationals winning three of the next five holes they were two up and eventually took out the match 3&2.
It was not long before the leader-board was awash with yellow, the Internationals leading in all five matches including the one that had already been settled and it was appearing as if the ‘home’ side might well be on their way to an unassailable lead .
Tournament golf, whether it be the individual or team variety, works in strange ways, however, and slowly but surely Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay overcame the deficit with wins at two of their last four holes to win their match against Adam Hadwin and Joaquin Niemann at the last, Cantlay holing from 15 feet at the 18th for the last gasp win.
Tiger Woods had not been behind in this encounter in any stage in his first 26 holes but he and Justin Thomas went down for the first time at the 8th hole after they had established an early lead. They, too, would birdie two holes late in their round however to defeat Byeong Hun An and Hideki Matsuyama with a stunning birdie at the last.
Thomas holed from 18 feet to win the match and, while he will no doubt receive many of the accolades for his brilliant pressure putt, it was the superb approach by Tiger Woods from the right hand rough that should also be remembered as a key component of the come from behind victory.
“His iron play is unbelievable,” said Thomas. “That was kind of our game plan going into today is we both — iron play, I feel like is both of our strengths, and just kind of get it in the fairway. You know, I think we were — I mean, at least 4-under, something like that.
“We played really well to be going to 18 to try to win but that’s why I was upset off the tee — I obviously haven’t played the hole enough, and thought I hit it right of the universe and it was only three yards in the rough. Once I knew it was okay, and Tiger said going up there, I’ve got a great angle – it was a case of me sitting back and watch ing.
“I’ve watched him have moments like this as a kid and I was glad he was on my team hitting it and not going against me in a stroke-play event. I knew he was going to give me a good look there and he did.”
In the final match on the course, Rickie Fowler and Gary Woodland were never ahead in their match against Sungjae Im and Cameron Smith and in fact with just three holes to play they were still 2 down. They would birdie the 16th and 17th however and Fowler was forced to hole a demanding 5-footer at the last for par to claim the a very important half point.
“I had to obviously trust my read and what I was seeing and what I was feeling,” said Fowler when asked about the putt. “You can’t make it go in. All you can do is hit a good putt. So literally all I was thinking about, because they were coming down — from that side of the green, as well, it’s very fast. Luckily I’m not having to worry about if there’s a putt coming back. It’s make or miss.”
The Americans had averted, therefore,what at one stage appeared to be a whitewash and instead of going into tomorrow’s matches with perhaps a nine point deficit they are now just 3 points behind and, very importantly, in terms of their chances over the weekend, their late rush today has given them the all-important momentum for what lies ahead.
For the Internationals it is crucial that they don’t dwell on what might have been. After all, if they had been told at the beginning of the week they would lead by three through the opening two days they might well have jumped at the opportunity.
“You know, to be three points ahead after two sessions, one of which is foursomes, and we have struggled with it at all the Presidents Cups that me and Louis have been involved with, yeah, for sure,” said Marc Leishman when asked that very question.
“I mean, any lead against them is good, but a three-point lead is even better. But there’s still a lot of points to play for. You know, we need to keep doing what we’re doing and keep improving because we know their jet-lag is going to start wearing off, and I’m sure they will start firing up. We need to be ready for it.”
Tiger Woods has decided to take at least tomorrow morning’s fourball off, recognising the potential danger of playing all five matches despite how well he is playing.
“Yeah, that was kind of the game plan,” said the USA captain. “It would be hard for me to go all the sessions. I’ve been fortunate enough to go out there with J.T. and we’ve gotten two points. J.T. played great and Rickie played awesome this afternoon. They have been looking forward to playing with one another. They have had success before and we will send them back out.”
So the weekend is shaping as a real battle between the two sides. The Internationals have a lead that is significant but whether it is enough to hold off an improving US side remains to be seen.
For the huge crowds predicted for the weekend the final 36 holes of this thus far intriguing contest might well get even more so.
Bring it on.
Saturday Match Ups
Tiger Woods’ Surprising Foursomes Omission
More observing for Woods this afternoon – click to expand
Despite being the standout on the opening two days and his team being under the gun in terms of being behind heading into Saturday afternoon’s foursomes, Tiger Woods has made a perhaps controversial decision to stand out in the match-ups this afternoon.
The Americans trail by 9 points to 5 and have a big task this afternoon if they are to get back within striking distance ahead of tomorrow’s singles
Woods, Patrick Reed, Webb Simpson and Bryson De Chambeau are the four Americans to sit out the final match before tomorrow’s singles but it was Woods’s decision that caused a stir.
A question as to whether Woods was injured was answered with a prompt ‘no’ by Woods, the USA Captain suggesting it was in the best interests of the team.
“You have to do what’s best for the team, and I’m getting ready for the singles tomorrow,” said Woods.
He was asked whether his assistant captains had tried to talk him out of it and responded. “I tried to talk myself out of it, too but you know, it is what it is, and we’re going to go out there and try and get some points today and be ready for tomorrow.”
The explanation was hard to fathom given the precarious position his team is now in as it heads into the afternoon foursomes and perhaps highlights the conflict of interests that comes with being a player/captain.
Adam Scott was in the last group out in this morning’s matches and will be first out in the afternoon when he again teams with Louis Oosthuizen as he did in his victory in yesterday’s foursomes.
Captain Els said he was determined he wanted to follow a formula when explaining the decision.
“It’s our strategy. The way they (the Americans) put their pairing out, we felt that that was the best pairing to play the American side. I just spoke with the official and he said he’s going to have enough time to get ready for this afternoon, so he can have lunch and relax for 40 minutes.”
Leaderboard and Pairings
Americans’ Late Heroics Keep Presidents Cup Hopes Alive
Historically, Presidents Cup foursome matches have not been a happy hunting ground for previous International sides but today, at Royal Melbourne, they made a very important turn for the better.
They tied the alternate shot matches on day two 2½ to 2½ and now lead the overall contest at Royal Melbourne by 6½ to 3½ but the leader-board hardly tells the story of the day.
Leading 4 to 1 following the completion of yesterday’s fourball encounters, the Internationals didn’t extend their lead but importantly they did not allow the Americans to claw back any of the advantage they (The Internationals) had built on day one.
They would, however, lose a significant lead they had created during the course of play on day two, a setback which might yet play a huge role in the final outcome of the 13th Presidents Cup.
Once again, the Americans went ahead early, although this time it was Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar who were out first and took a 2-up advantage through 5 holes over the leading ranked International combination of Adam Scott and Louis Oosthuizen.
The lead would not last long however as, by the turn, the match was tied and with the Internationals winning three of the next five holes they were two up and eventually took out the match 3&2.
It was not long before the leader-board was awash with yellow, the Internationals leading in all five matches including the one that had already been settled and it was appearing as if the ‘home’ side might well be on their way to an unassailable lead .
Tournament golf, whether it be the individual or team variety, works in strange ways, however, and slowly but surely Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay overcame the deficit with wins at two of their last four holes to win their match against Adam Hadwin and Joaquin Niemann at the last, Cantlay holing from 15 feet at the 18th for the last gasp win.
Tiger Woods had not been behind in this encounter in any stage in his first 26 holes but he and Justin Thomas went down for the first time at the 8th hole after they had established an early lead. They, too, would birdie two holes late in their round however to defeat Byeong Hun An and Hideki Matsuyama with a stunning birdie at the last.
Thomas holed from 18 feet to win the match and, while he will no doubt receive many of the accolades for his brilliant pressure putt, it was the superb approach by Tiger Woods from the right hand rough that should also be remembered as a key component of the come from behind victory.
“His iron play is unbelievable,” said Thomas. “That was kind of our game plan going into today is we both — iron play, I feel like is both of our strengths, and just kind of get it in the fairway. You know, I think we were — I mean, at least 4-under, something like that.
“We played really well to be going to 18 to try to win but that’s why I was upset off the tee — I obviously haven’t played the hole enough, and thought I hit it right of the universe and it was only three yards in the rough. Once I knew it was okay, and Tiger said going up there, I’ve got a great angle – it was a case of me sitting back and watch ing.
“I’ve watched him have moments like this as a kid and I was glad he was on my team hitting it and not going against me in a stroke-play event. I knew he was going to give me a good look there and he did.”
In the final match on the course, Rickie Fowler and Gary Woodland were never ahead in their match against Sungjae Im and Cameron Smith and in fact with just three holes to play they were still 2 down. They would birdie the 16th and 17th however and Fowler was forced to hole a demanding 5-footer at the last for par to claim the a very important half point.
“I had to obviously trust my read and what I was seeing and what I was feeling,” said Fowler when asked about the putt. “You can’t make it go in. All you can do is hit a good putt. So literally all I was thinking about, because they were coming down — from that side of the green, as well, it’s very fast. Luckily I’m not having to worry about if there’s a putt coming back. It’s make or miss.”
The Americans had averted, therefore,what at one stage appeared to be a whitewash and instead of going into tomorrow’s matches with perhaps a nine point deficit they are now just 3 points behind and, very importantly, in terms of their chances over the weekend, their late rush today has given them the all-important momentum for what lies ahead.
For the Internationals it is crucial that they don’t dwell on what might have been. After all, if they had been told at the beginning of the week they would lead by three through the opening two days they might well have jumped at the opportunity.
“You know, to be three points ahead after two sessions, one of which is foursomes, and we have struggled with it at all the Presidents Cups that me and Louis have been involved with, yeah, for sure,” said Marc Leishman when asked that very question.
“I mean, any lead against them is good, but a three-point lead is even better. But there’s still a lot of points to play for. You know, we need to keep doing what we’re doing and keep improving because we know their jet-lag is going to start wearing off, and I’m sure they will start firing up. We need to be ready for it.”
Tiger Woods has decided to take at least tomorrow morning’s fourball off, recognising the potential danger of playing all five matches despite how well he is playing.
“Yeah, that was kind of the game plan,” said the USA captain. “It would be hard for me to go all the sessions. I’ve been fortunate enough to go out there with J.T. and we’ve gotten two points. J.T. played great and Rickie played awesome this afternoon. They have been looking forward to playing with one another. They have had success before and we will send them back out.”
So the weekend is shaping as a real battle between the two sides. The Internationals have a lead that is significant but whether it is enough to hold off an improving US side remains to be seen.
For the huge crowds predicted for the weekend the final 36 holes of this thus far intriguing contest might well get even more so.
Bring it on.
Saturday Match Ups
Australians Gain Limited Status For 2020 Japan Tour
Andrew Evans – file photo
One or two Australian players have gained at least limited status for the 2020 Japan Tour and, while none will have guaranteed starts for early season events, they have the opportunity to build on what they earned through the 108 holes of qualifying that was completed earlier this week.
A re-rank in July might help their cause provided they played well in events prior to then, the Japan Tour beginning its schedule in mid-April.
Andrew Evans and Matthew Millar both tied for 29th at 14 under par and although a massive 21 shots behind the medallist Min-Gyu Cho of Korea, they have done enough to gain at least some access to early season events.
Typically, the leading 20 players are guaranteed a full schedule of starts but beyond that the number of starts is based on their finishing position at the Tour School.
Evans has played the secondary tour in Japan for much of the past two seasons so while he will not have full status for the main tour in 2020 he will have enough to gain some starts.
Millar finished runner-up on the PGA Tour of Australasia’s Order of Merit in 2018 and has been somewhat resurgent in his career since returning to competitive golf from a coaching career in Canberra in 2015.
New South Wales’ Callan O’Reilly finished in 33rd place, Adam Burdett 52nd and Steve Jeffress 65th. Burdett and Jeffress in particular will struggle to gain many, if any starts, on the main tour next season.
http://www.jgto-qt.jp/upload_files/20191210154351.pdf
Internationals Claim Surprise lead at Royal Melbourne
Despite his personal best endeavours, Tiger Woods’ US team trails after day one – photo David Tease
The crowds were lining up well ahead of the gates opening on day one of the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club, long lines awaiting security screening some two hours ahead of the opening tee shots being hit at 9.32 Melbourne time.
The wait would be worthwhile – for the majority of the fans that is. The International Team, perhaps surprisingly, taking the lead in the opening round of fourball matches and establishing a very important early cushion of 4 points to 1 as the event heads into tomorrow’s foursome encounters.
With 25 points still up for grabs over the next three days, however, nothing is being taken for granted by either side although there is little doubt the International side are excited about leading this event as much as they are after day one.
Not that things started that way on a cool, breezy Melbourne morning. Tiger Woods, paired with Justin Thomas in the opening group out, went 1 up at the first with a birdie at the short par 4 and the US pairing never looked back. Their opponents, Marc Leishman and Joaquin Niemann, threatened to fight back on occasions but the Americans would eventually win 4&3 and the first point had gone to the holders.
Thomas was quick to admit that he played very little role in the victory, giving all the credit to Woods who was responsible for seven of the nine holes won by his side.
“Tiger was working so well between the two of us today,” said Thomas. “He played great. I mean, I just didn’t really take advantage of the opportunities, but that’s what you have a partner for. It was awesome. It’s nice knowing when I step up on a par 3 or a par 4 that I feel free just because I know he’s playing well, and he did.
“He played great today. It’s no coincidence why we won. He really carried me out there, and you know, it was a tough day out there, and to have as many birdie putts as he had was the reason we won the match.”
The Internationals, however, were not about to lie down. Behind Woods and Thomas, the balance of the Internationals were more than holding their own and in fact when Louis Oosthuizen and Abraham Ancer claimed the next available point, they had drawn level at 1 all.
Oosthuizen could not sing Ancer’s praises enough. “My man just made everything. He hit it good. He hit fairways, greens, and it’s all on him today. It was unreal.”
Ancer was playing his first Presidents Cup and he could not have started his international career in a better way but he paid credit to Oosthuizen and his calming influence. “It’s so much fun, truly a pleasure playing with Louis.
“He made it feel easy out here, which is not easy. It’s a very tough golf course. We had a lot of fun. We had a plan and I think we kept to our plan really well and I felt good out there, which gave me a lot of confidence and I made some putts.”
On the golf course the remaining matches were stacked in favour of the Internationals and although the result of two of the three matches was not determined until the 18th the overall score reflected a day where the Internationals surprised most with their dominant performance.
Late inclusion in the team on the withdrawal of Jason Day, Ben An, teamed with Adam Scott and they were never behind in their match against Bryson De Chambeau and Tony Finau, eventually winning 2&1 while Hideki Matsuyama and C.T. Pan and Adam Hadwin and Sungjae Im won their matches at the final hole.
As to what this means in the days ahead remains to be seen especially given that 25 points still remain available to either team. The Internationals’ record in foursome matches at Presidents Cup in recent times is not good an tomorrow might well play a key role in their chances of taking the Cup for just the second occasion.
An hour after the completion of play, both captains announced their line-ups for tomorrow. Not surprisingly, Woods will again team with Justin Thomas but he has, however, retained two of his losing pairings of today.
For Els, it appears he is continuing to stick with a specific game plan despite none of his winning pairings combining on day two. His team does appear to be playing like a well drilled unit thus far but he is only too aware of just how far there is still to go.
“You know, it’s just getting the guys to play together like we did in practice, and just getting prepared with the golf course,” said the South African.
“You know, the team spirit was really good this time. We had many meetings through the year and so forth and so forth, but I mean, hey, we’ve played one session. We’ve got four more to go. We’ve got foursomes tomorrow. We’ll be focusing on that tomorrow, and we’ll take it from there.
Ernie Els working with his assistant captains to determine the match-ups for tomorrow
Long Wait Over For Presidents Cup Return
Photo: Pre event promotion on the banks of the Yarra – PGA Tour
Australia has been waiting eight years for the return of the Presidents Cup to its shores and if the pent-up interest in this week’s event is anything to go by then, irrespective of the result on Sunday, Royal Melbourne is set to be at bursting point this week.
Royal Melbourne is the scene of the only victory by the Internationals although that was 21 years ago at a time when the world of professional golf was somewhat different than is the case now. The changing nature of the professional game has changed since 1998, the Americans now much more adept at playing on a wider range of golf courses and they will start the hot favourites to retain the Cup.
The Americans not only have history on their side, having won the event outright on 10 of the 12 previous stagings of the event, but their relative strength in terms of world rankings adds further to their likelihood of taking the title.
Of the 12 players representing the US, all but two are inside the top twenty in the world ranking and their highest ranked player is Matt Kuchar at 24 in the world
The Internationals, however, have only two (Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama) inside the world’s top twenty, the balance of their team stretching out to the world number 64 Li Hao Tong.
Not that this ranking disparity is unique to this year’s Presidents Cup, the contrast in the respective ‘on paper’ strength of the field always having been the case although perhaps more so in 2019 and in many of the other years the event has been held.
Admittedly, the event is being played on a venue that was the scene of such a dramatic victory by the Internationals led by Peter Thomson in 1998 but there is little doubting the Americans, for whatever reason were asleep that year.
The greater preparedness of the Americans to be exposed to golf internationally in the years since ensures that they have a greater understanding and experience of the style of golf they will face this week.
Also working in the favour of the Americans is that they will field just five Presidents Cup rookies compared to eight for the Internationals. Importantly when assessing that statistic however is that two of the five Americans who make their Presidents Cup debut this week were part of the US side at the Ryder Cup last year so have already been exposed at this style of event.
The American’s preparation has been disrupted to some extent by the withdrawal of world number one Brooks Koepka but the Internationals suffered a similar blow when Jason Day was forced from the event with back injury.
The odds therefore are stacked heavily in the favour of the Americans who start the event as $1.35 favourites to take the title compared to the $3.65 generally available for the Internationals and $14 for the tie.
For the sake of the ongoing future of the event however it is important that the Internationals at least make a race of things. Admittedly the Ryder Cup took more than 50 years before it became a genuine contest but that happened when the Great Britain and UK side became the European side with the inclusion of players from Continental Europe.
The Internationals will not have such luxury and must therefore step up to the plate with a performance this week which at least makes this a contest for as long as possible.
While many of the fans who will flock to Royal Melbourne this week would dearly love a shock victory by the Internationals, that they are getting the opportunity to see twelve of the world’s top twenty at the one venue is a rare opportunity for Australian golf fans and that alone might well make this week one of their most memorable golfing experiences.
Korn Ferry Tour Cards Up For Grabs In Florida
Photo: New Zealand’s Nick Voke- gets a chance to advance his career – PGA Tour Series China
The holy grail of professional golf in terms of a place to play is undoubtedly the PGA Tour but in more recent years it has become increasingly difficult to access the riches of that tour.
This week, in Winter Garden in Florida, several Australasians get the chance to at least take the next step in the road to the PGA Tour when they tee it up at the Final Stage of Korn Ferry Tour qualifying.
150 golfers will play over 72 holes, the leading qualifier guaranteed full exemption for the PGA Tour’s secondary tour in 2020 while those finishing between 2nd and 10th are exempt for the first 12 events before the re-rank and those finishing between 11th and 40th exempt for the first 8 events at least.
New South Welshmen Brett Drewitt and Harrison Endycott will be joined by Victorian Ryan Ruffels, Queenslander Daniel Nisbet and New Zealander Nick Voke.
Drewitt has played the PGA Tour previously having gained access in 2017 but has been back on the Korn Ferry Tour (then known as the Web.Com Tour) and the Latino America Tour since. In 2019 he was unable to do enough to retain status for the Korn Ferry Tour and gets another opportunity after graduating from Stage Two.
Endycott and Ruffels have spent their year on the Latino America Tour where they did well enough to earn the right to at least attempt Korn Ferry Tour qualifying. Endycott advanced from the second stage to tee it up this week while Ruffels as a result of his efforts this season was exempt through to the Final Stage.
Daniel Nisbet has played in Asia and Australasia all year and played his way into the Final Stage via his performances in events this year.
It has already been a long road for many just to get to this stage and the chance for twelve months on the Korn Ferry Tour is just reward for what they have achieved to date.
There is still some way to go but they have at least created that opportunity.
Brad Kennedy defeated in playoff in Japan
Queenslander Brad Kennedy has been defeated in a playoff at the Japan Tour’s season ending Golf Nippon Series event in Tokyo, his equal best round of the day (65) carrying him into a playoff against Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa who birdied the 3rd extra hole to win his third event of the season.
For Kennedy it was his best finish of the year in Japan and moved him to 18th place on the finalised money list for the year with earnings of A$ equivalent $720,000.
Considering Kennedy had bogeyed his opening hole on the final day it was a bold bid to win the event outright but he still earns a cheque for A$200,000 and finishes the year off in style as he now heads back to the Gold Coast for this week’s Australian PGA Championship.
Brendan Jones was the next best of the Australians when he tied for 5th in the 30-man field and finished as the leading Australian once again on the Japan Tour money list with earnings of A$735,000.
Anthony Quayle was 14th this week and Matthew Griffin 19th.
Matt Jones holds on in final hole thriller at Australian Open
It is never over until it is over as the saying goes and in today’s final round of the Emirates Australian Open at the Australian Golf Club in Sydney, there was yet another great example of how that applies to tournament golf.
When Sydney’s Matt Jones arrived on the 17th green after holding a minimum two shot lead all day, he led by two over South African Louis Oosthuizen who was playing in the group ahead and who, after a magnificent hybrid approach, faced a 16 foot putt for eagle at the last. Oosthuizen putted first and converted to draw level but just a few moments later Jones holed a 35-footer at the 17th to go ahead again.
As he stood on the 18th tee, Jones was one ahead and, surely, he could negotiate the par 5 last safely and claim his second national open, four years after his first. First, however, he had to find the fairway, but he pulled his tee shot left into a bunker guarding the left side of the fairway and at that point even a lay-up became problematical.
Adding to the confusion however was that Jones had thought he held a two shot lead, an issue that might well have changed his strategy had he known better.
Thinking long and hard as to which was the best option in terms of where he wanted leave his shot from the bunker, his execution was poor, failing to clear the pine needles and from there it was a case of just where he would leave his 3rd shot in order to set up a pitch and putt par and the win.
“I was just hitting it out there to hit a 9-iron on the green and it caught a little pine cone and just dropped straight down. I actually didn’t even see the tree limb, it was not even in play.”
His 3rd shot was good but came up ten metres short of the green and some 40 meters from the hole.
Between he and the hole there was also a gentle ridge to negotiate but he hit the most exquisite of pitch and runs to 5 feet and although the putt scrambled in the left edge it was enough to secure the par and the win by one over the gallant Oosthuizen who had thrown out all stops to force a playoff.
“I was under the assumption that it was at worst, I had a two-shot lead, so I wasn’t playing for the green on my third shot. I was happy to hit it in the bunker, which I’m happy I didn’t, because that bunker shot wouldn’t have been as comfortable, but then I realised what I had to do and the chip wasn’t that difficult.
“It was landing down grain, so I could just get it over the bunker and let it release a little. It was a pretty easy putt. I made it more difficult than it had to be, but it went in.”
“It’s fantastic,” he added referring to what this means to him. “I’ve had a good start to the year (season) in the US. Something like this has been coming and it’s very special when it’s your national Open and to do it two times in a row is something that’s pretty unbelievable right now. But I’m going to build on this. If I can play as calm on the US Tour as I did these four days, I think I’ll have a very good year.”
Sharing third place were the impressive Japanese amateur, Takumi Kanaya, and Queensland based Aaron Pike who, as a result of their efforts, will join Jones as the recipients of starts at next year’s Open Championship at Royal St Georges.
The leading three players finishing inside the top ten this week and not otherwise exempt to the Open Championship qualified for those spots and with Oosthuizen already in the field, Jones, Kanaya and Pike can make plans for a trip to Kent in England in July.
Paul Casey, two-time champion Greg Chalmers, American Cameron Tringale, Taiwan’s Chun An Yu and New Zealand rookie Denzel Ieremia tied for 5th.
Jones’ record at the Australian Golf Club is almost unequalled having now on two Australian Opens and been runner-up in another at the venue where he played a lot of his early amateur golf.
For Jones, however, it was a joyous moment in front of his home fans and family and the family he has met and raised in the US. His three girls and American wife were there to greet him as he walked from the final green
In addition to winning his national open championship, the opportunity to play the Open Championship once again was a source of great pleasure.
“I’ve played in maybe five British Opens and it’s the one Major I would most like to win. To be able to do that and plan a schedule around that, will be fantastic. I played Royal St George’s back in, I think when Rory won, and I liked it, so I’m looking forward to getting back there.
“As you can see by the two other guys that qualified, for them to get into a British Open is fantastic. I love coming back here because it’s a great chance for me to do it. I’ve been lucky enough to do it a few times and I’ll be back next year. Hopefully I don’t have to do it next year, but I’ll be back here for it if I have to.”
For Aaron Pike the opportunity to play his first open Championship is not lost on him
“In all honesty, I know the spots are up for grabs and I knew going into the last day I was running top 10, so I had that idea in my head so to speak,” he would say before the finalisation of the three players.
“The 16th I saw a board and I realised that Louis would have been in because he’s won one and Matty Jones will definitely take one, because he’s not going to finish with five doubles or whatever it is and then I knew someone else there or thereabouts might get another one, so I’m going to have to put my foot down. I birdied 17, I tried to birdie 18 to keep going, but it’s the biggest Tournament in the world for me. It is. It’s as simple as that. It’ll be amazing to get in it.”
Kanaya has already played one Open Championship courtesy of a victory at the 2018 Asia Pacific Amateur Championship but the rising superstar of Japanese golf gets another chance.
Australian golf now focuses on next week’s Presidents Cup in Melbourne ahead of the Australian PGA Championship on the Gold Coast.
Open Championship qualifiers Aaron Pike, Matt Jones and Takumi Kanaya photo – R&A / Getty
Jones Extends Lead in Pursuit of 2nd Australian Open
photo: Matt Jones in action early in his 3rd round. – Justin Falconer Golf Australia
Australia’s Matt Jones has extended his one shot 36-hole lead to three through 54 holes of the Australian Open Championship in Sydney and his already impressive record at this venue, and in this event, appears as if it may well be extended in tomorrow’s final round.
Jones won his national title around the Australian Golf Club in 2015 and finished runner-up two years later, so, that he enjoys such a fine history at the golf course, suggests he will again be the man to beat.
Jones leads over American Cameron Tringale, with another shot back to Japanese amateur star Takumi Kanaya, South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen and the man who might yet be Jones’ biggest threat on day four, Paul Casey.
Unlike the opening two days of the event where benign conditions prevailed, the morning, easterly breeze turned into a wind around mid-morning and by the time the leaders hit off at 11.55 the Australian Golf Club layout began to bare its teeth for the first time this week.
The often irrelevant and overused term of ‘moving day’ became even more so as nobody appeared capable of breaking clear of the field and by the time the leaders made the turn, 11 players were within two shots of the lead headed by South African Louis Oosthuizen, former champion, the US based Sydneysider, Matt Jones and New Zealand rookie Denzel Ieremia.
They led by one over American, Cameron Tringale, recently turned professional Blake Windred and England’s Paul Casey who had just three putted the 9th to drop out of the lead he had on his own to that point.
Also at 8 under and just one from the lead, was another US based Sydneysider Jamie Arnold who emerged from the cutline of 1 under par to be just one from the lead with his stunning early morning round of 64, a round that would become four shots better than any other.
Three holes later, however, and it would be Jones who established a break on the field with three birdies in his opening four holes of the closing nine and he led by three over Tringale with another shot back to Casey, Ieremia, Kanaya, Oosthuizen and Arnold who four hours earlier had finished his round.
When Jones walked from the 16th green he had added yet another birdie to open-up a four-shot lead and although he found trouble at the 17th and took bogey he would find the green with his second at the par 5 18th.
When he had safely two putted for birdie he had added a round of 68 and at 13 under he had established a cushion heading into tomorrow.
The golf course was clearly more demanding today and Jones summed up the reason why in his post round press conference.
“It’s just not a normal wind, I don’t find out here from years of playing, the easterly’s not a normal wind,” he said. “I find it normally a north or a south wind. So, you’ve got some side winds out there. It was just tricky because it kept going from east, then it went to northeast, then it went to southeast and it’s just tough to trust some of those numbers.
“It got Paul on number 9 where he hit a perfect shot and it came up in a bunker. It was tougher and the pin locations were tougher. It was tougher to get access out there.”
“I started off a little shaky and I knew once you get through certain holes, you’ve got more holes later on in the round that you can make some birdies and I was lucky enough to get through them and got to the back nine and I made, I think, five birdies on the back nine to have a good round.
“I was very calm out there today. My caddy said on the first tee if you’re not nervous – I can’t remember what he said – then I must be wrong, because I wasn’t very nervous, I was very comfortable and excited to go out and play. I played with Paul for many years in college and it was fun to go out there and play with him.”
Jones’ closest challenger, Cameron Tringale, has yet to win on either the PGA or Korn Ferry Tour so tomorrow holds hopes for him to finally breakthrough with a win of significance. He has been three times runner-up however and a win tomorrow would be just reward for his efforts to date and for making the decision to come to Australia. A win this week may well be the making of the 32 year old.
Casey summed up how many are perhaps feeling about their chances tomorrow.
“Matt played fantastic golf I thought, really good stuff and if he plays like that tomorrow then I think he’ll probably be a bit too tough, because I’m too far back probably, but we’ll see. I played a wonderful round of golf on Friday; I need to try and replicate that tomorrow
“It was a flat day, I just never really got going, not much to really say, I didn’t do a hell of a lot wrong but when I had opportunities, I didn’t capitalise and there was obviously a couple of errors in there. But how do you get around this course without making errors?
Oosthuizen birdied his final hole to remind all that the classy former Open Champion is still a major chance tomorrow. So how did he feel about the four shot margin between he and the leader.
“I think around here it’s not too much. You can really get it going around here if you start making a few putts, the greens are so good. I think it all depends on your start. If you have a good start and he just goes 1-over maybe through five holes, then different story. I think it’s all on if he’s going to start really well and pull away from everyone, then it gets difficult, but I need to start well tomorrow.”
Matt Jones, however, has had a very commercially successful career in professional golf with more than US$12 million in earnings on the PGA Tour alone but at the age of 39 it is titles that are perhaps equally important.
With only two of significance to his name (the Houston Open and the 2015 Australian Open), a win tomorrow will help balance the ledger.
Course Specialist Matt Jones Leads Australian Open
Photo – Jones in action today – Golf Australia Kirsty Wrice
Sydney’s Arizona based, Matt Jones, has an enviable record already at the Australian Golf Club and this weekend it might well get even better.
In the benign, but smokey conditions that have been a feature of the opening two days, scoring has been outstanding on one of Australia’s best tournament layouts, with a total of eight rounds of 6 under par 65 produced on day two.
The winner of the Australian Open in 2015 and runner-up to Cameron Davis in 2017 at the same venue, Jones today served notice that he could well add a second national title with a round of 65 to go with his opening 67 and, at 10 under par, he leads by one over the leading world ranked player in the field, Paul Casey and last year’s runner-up, Dimitrios Papadatos.
A birdie at his final hole, one of four over his closing nine, gave Jones the outright lead and after his round he was delighted to be in the lead although felt a couple more ahead would have been even nicer.
“Any time you get to lead is fantastic. It would have been better to be more in front, but I’ll take 1 in front. Still a long way to go. I’m sure the wind is going to pick up the next two days, which will make it a little tougher.
Jones, however, was more than happy with where he finds himself heading into Saturday’s third round and when asked if he had left any shots on the golf course was quick to respond.
“I would say when you combine both rounds, no, I think I’m exactly as good as I could be. I made a lot of par putts yesterday, made some good birdie putts today, maybe missed one or two, but it’s evened itself out, so I’m very happy to be where I am.”
Papadatos, who is also a New South Welshman, was delighted with his performance, especially after missing out on his European Tour card recently. He was asked if he could take anything out of out of his second place behind Abraham Ancer at the Lakes Golf Club last year.
“Yeah, last year was a bit of a surprise and I played well,” said the 2014 New Zealand Open Champion. “I better take something from that and know that to get that close you surely can be able to go a little bit better one day, so maybe this week.
“The putting was good today. I didn’t actually hit it fantastic, but with the conditions, you didn’t need to hit it too good out there. Because of the wind, it was pretty still, so there were a lot of wedges in there. But I putted really well today, which was good.”
Casey began this week as the favourite and the leading world ranked player in the field and if the opening two rounds are anything to go by then there is little reason to think any differently as the event enters the weekend.
Casey has won previously in Sydney but that was 16 years ago at the nearby New South Wales Golf Club when winning one of his first events as a professional, but all this time later he returns as one of the leading players in the world and the manner in which he handled the Australian Golf Club’s layout today suggests his second Australian title might not be far away.
Casey’s morning round of 65 today swept him into the lead after his opening round of 68 on Thursday had him in a share of 6th place. The afternoon field, however, would take advantage of conditions that remained conducive to scoring all afternoon.
Birdies at his final four holes turned an average round into something special and the 15th ranked player in the world will take all sorts of beating over the weekend.
As he indicated earlier in the week, Casey is here to give it his all in his quest to win a title which would complete a remarkable year.
“As I said earlier in the week, I didn’t come down here for a jolly,” said Casey. “The weather’s perfect in Arizona right now where I live, so it would be very easy to be back home. I’ve never played an Aussie Open before and I’d love to win it.
“Two victories this year, I’d love to have a third and that would be on three different tours, which would be pretty cool. I don’t think I’ve done that before. I’m not here to make up the numbers, I’m here to try and win.”
Sharing 4th place and just two from the lead are New Zealand rookie, Denzel Ieremia, International Presidents Cup team member, Louis Oosthuizen, American, Cameron Tringale, Queenslander Shae Wools-Cobb and the brilliant Japanese amateur Takumi Kanaya, who just two weeks ago won one of the more prestigious events on the Japan Tour.
The big stories of the day were the missed cuts by Adam Scott and Sergio Garcia, Scott missing out on a chance to gain further tournament exposure ahead of next week’s Presidents Cup after a month away from competitive play.
The other talking point of the opening 36 holes has been the performance of the amateurs.
Victoria’s Lukas Michel is at 7 under and just three from the lead along with Chinese Taipei’s Chun An Yu while youngsters Hayden Hopewell of WA and 17 year old Queenslander, Elvis Smylie, are at 6 and 5 under respectively.