Jason Day a week to week proposition but when he is good he is very good – photo Henry Peters

Jason Day is tied for 2^nd place and just two behind the leader, Sam Burns, through 36 holes at Vivint Houston Open being played at the Municipal Park Golf Course in the suburbs of Houston.

Day played early on day two and put together a solid two under par round of 68 on the demanding layout which he described as requiring patience.

“It’s one of these golf courses, you leave yourself on the wrong side — you know, I’ve watched Phil out there the last two days, he kind of left himself in some pretty tough positions and you’re just struggling the whole day. It’s one of those courses where you’ve just got to be patient and try to get your birdies when you can.”

The ongoing issue of Day’s health is constantly raised and today he explained the reason for a recent withdrawal at the Shadow Creek event while in contention.

The form’s been very inconsistent obviously because I’m trying to change my swing a little bit just to try and help the back out. I guess I’m stuck in between patterns right now, what I want to feel, my body just won’t handle it and sometimes it just compensates elsewhere. That’s why it happened to my neck at CJ.

Despite a bogey at his final hole, Adam Scott is just four from the lead and tied for 9^th after his round of 69. In his first event back from an enforced layoff after contracting the Covid 19 virus.

Clearly this is one last opportunity for Scott to have his game in shape ahead of next week’s Masters. While the golf courses are very different Scott sees this week’s test as great mental preparation for Augusta National.

“I think this course, because it is quite relentless as far as it’s long and it’s a bit of a brute, is testing the patience and the focus and that’s always tested at a major championship,” said Scott.

“There’s nothing much resembling Augusta National here, they’re very different kinds of golf courses, but that long day out on the course where you’re required to hit a lot of tough shots is similar and that’s testing the mental side of it very much.”

Like Day, Scott began his round early on day two and birdies at his 16^th and 17^th holes appeared to have him beautifully placed before finding the bunker at the last and dropping a shot.

The former winner of the event is, however, nicely placed, heading into the weekend, to challenge for this title and to hone his competitive game ahead of next week after a break of a six weeks some of that recovering from the world wide Covid virus.

Adam Scott in action this week – close enough if good enough – photo Getty Images

Greg Chalmers and Matt Jones are at 1 over while Cameron Davis was unable to capitalise on his fine start yesterday, adding a round of 76 to his opening 67 to be at 3 over and only just into the weekend field.

Burns has yet to win on the PGA Tour but the 24 year old has recorded several top tens. Like so many others he mentioned the demands of the layout in his post round press conference and was pleased with the manner in which he has handled it.

“I think that’s the challenging part of this golf course, it takes a lot of discipline around here. You get out of position, you just try to get it back to where you can get it up and down or get it in a section of the green where you can lag putt it. Fortunately early we got some good looks and was able to convert, so, solid.”

Burns also mentioned the benefit of his experience at the recent Safeway Open where he contended and outlined the experience he had learned from that.

“I think slowing down a little bit, really talking through the shot with Travis (caddie) and making sure we have a clear picture of what we’re trying to do, I think that was really helpful to learn that.”

Cameron Davis tied with Jason Day as the leading Australian – file photo Bruce Young

The five man Australian contingent have all started well at the Vivint Houston Open at the Memorial Park Golf Course in the inner suburbs of Houston, Cameron Davis and Jason Day the best of them after their opening rounds of 3 under par 67 shared 2nd place, two behind the leader Brandt Snedeker.

Adam Scott and Greg Chalmers are at 2 under 68 while former champion, Matt Jones, opened with a round of 69.

A homeward nine of 30 was just the tonic Day was looking for after a being forced to withdraw from the tournament at Shadow Creek two starts ago and a horror start to his round today when he reached the turn in 2 over 37.

Five birdies in his last seven holes saw him get within two of the lead and with just couple of groups remaining on the course after play was suspended due to darkness, he is well placed ahead of an early start on day two.

Day enjoyed the opportunity to have at least some fans back on the golf course today.

“It was actually really nice,” he said after his round referring to the maximum of 2500 fans allowed to spectate at this municipal golf course in the hear of Houston.

“It was something that I think a lot of us have been waiting for and hoping for and it was nice to be able to see. I mean, we only had like 2,500 I think in today, but it felt like a lot.

“Overall, very happy to be out playing in front of fans. Playing with Phil (Mickelson) is always a treat, and Viktor (Hovland) as well, but when you’re playing with Phil you usually get a few fans and seemed like we had a nice grouping today.”

Davis continues to improve in the relatively early stages of his PGA Tour career and after he too had struggled through the front nine he powered home with four birdies for a closing nine of 31 to be tied for 2^nd at 3 under.

Davis later described the demands of this newly renovated layout.

“So I think it’s already quite long, but it’s more the firmness of the greens. If you’re not in the fairway, you can’t really hold them, so driving becomes very important. You go drive it down there a long way so you can spin it.

“It’s just the ability to get the ball near the hole, and the penalty for just missing on the wrong side becomes really big because the ball just rolls away.

“It’s been a while since I’ve played a course on Tour that’s really done that and it’s great, it reminds me a lot of back in Australia. So it does have a nice feel to it, but it just means that your ball-striking’s just got to be really on.

Scott an encouraging return after dealing with Covid 19 issues – file photo Getty

Scott, another former winner of the event, performed well following his enforced layoff after being diagnosed with Covid 19 virus three weeks ago.

“Obviously my golf preparations have taken a bit of a setback the last few weeks. Having not played since the U.S. Open, I was trying to get some golf in at ZOZO and here before the Masters, not only not getting ZOZO in, not getting any practice in for those 10 days either is a little setback, but I’ve actually come out swinging good this week and at least feel fresh. Hopefully that works in my favour.

“I was surprised (by the diagnosis). I had no symptoms at the time I tested positive, but I developed some symptoms about 12 hours after I tested positive and I had a slight fever for 24 hours and a headache and then that kind of passed.

“Then I continued to get better. Yeah, I had to isolate. I was in the hotel there in L.A. for six days. Once I was sure I was healthy and not kind of just feeling okay, I investigated finding a house by myself for the next four or five days to isolate just so I could go outside and get some fresh air. So I drove myself to a house. And again, didn’t have any contact with anyone until my 10 days of isolation was up.”

Chalmers recovered from an opening double bogey at the demanding first hole to turn in even par and was home in 33 for a round of 68 while Jones has only 15 players ahead of him after his opening 69.

Adam Scott – returns from Covid 19 – photo Henry Peters

With just one week before the golfing world focuses its attention on the 2020 Masters, two of the five Australians who have earned their right to play at Augusta National next week will put the finishing touches on their preparations by playing this week’s Vivint Houston Open at the Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston.

Adam Scott and Jason Day will tee it up, Scott returning from an enforced layoff after contracting Covid 19 two weeks ago while for Day his recent schedule has also been disrupted by health issues after a back injury forced him to withdraw from the C.J. Cup in Las Vegas two weeks ago before playing his most recent event at the Zozo Championship in California two weeks ago.

Scott was forced to withdraw from that same Zozo Championship and has therefore not played since his midfield finish at the US Open six weeks ago in just his 4^th start of 2020 after remaining in Australia for much of the year as he sat out the suspended USPGA Tour.

Both players will, therefore, need to take advantage of these last minute preparations ahead of the final major of the year but it is a race against time to have their games in the sort of shape needed to continue their impressive records at Augusta National , Scott having won in 2013 and finished runner-up in 2011 with Day joint runner-up in 2011 and 3rd in 2013.

The event moves to a new venue in 2020, the Memorial Park Golf Course a municipal facility which had previously hosted the event on 14 occasions during the 1940’s 50’s and 60’s.

The course, originally opened in 1936, has, though, undergone a major renovation under the eye of two-time US Open champion, Brooks Koepka.

Australia’s three other entrants at the Masters, Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith and amateur Lukas Michel are not in this week’s field, Smith finishing 4^th in his last event at the Zozo Championship before the decision to take a two week break after feeling exhausted by his most recent schedule.

Leishman has been struggling of late and is clearly reserving his energy for The Masters where he has performed with distinction in the past while Michel earned his right for Augusta through winning the US Mid-Amateur Championship last year.

2014 Houston Open Champion, Matt Jones, Cameron Davis and Greg Chalmers are the three other Australians to take their place in this week’s field.

The magnificent NZ Open set-up surrounding the 18th at Millbrook

The news today that the 2021 New Zealand Open Presented by Sky Sport would be yet another golf event to fall victim of the Covid 19 pandemic was inevitable but disappointing.

The event, scheduled to be held in the last week of February in 2021, has developed into arguably the most popular amongst players on the PGA Tour of Australasia schedule and tournament organisers, John Hart and Michael Glading, along with the event’s underwriter, Millbrook Resort, have held off making the tough decision for as long as possible.

With such a significant commitment both logistically and financially on the line if a decision had been made to push forward with the event, however, the volatility and uncertainty still remaining with the issues surrounding Covid 19 have resulted in it being called off in 2021 and having it back on the schedule in late February of 2022.

Held in the stunning adventure capital region of New Zealand, Queenstown, and played over both the Millbrook Resort and the Hills Golf Clubs near Arrowtown 20 minutes outside of Queenstown, the event has grown from strength to strength since a decision was made in 2014 to adopt a pro-am format and bring it to one of world tournament golf’s most scenic venues.

In the years leading into 2014, the event was under pressure for survival as a Tier One PGA Tour of Australasia event and while the decision to adopt this new format proved controversial at first, it has been the making of one of world golf’s oldest running championships.

Each and every year since its inception in this format, the New Zealand Open has attracted not only a diverse field of Australasian and Asian professionals but has also proven a significant success in attracting a field of amateurs who get to play in a national open championship with those same professionals, some in the heat of the battle in the event’s final round.

The event has established strong ties with both the Asian and Japan Tours, ensuring a growing audience for its televised coverage and increasing the depth in its field.

Tournament Chairman John Hart- photo Photosport

Tournament chairman Hart, along with his colleague and Tournament Director, Glading, have been the driving forces in the tournament’s establishment and growth over the past seven years. Hart was disappointed as any in a decision which eventually became a no-brainer.

“We are extremely disappointed to have had to come to this decision,” said Hart today. “But the effects of the pandemic, borders being closed, and the financial risk associated with a potential later cancellation due to any further Covid-19 outbreaks means we have no other alternative other than to cancel this event now.”

“With up to 300 international participants coming from offshore (including professional players, amateur players, caddies, and officials of our Tour partners (the PGA Tour of Australasia, the Asian Tour and the Japan Golf Tour), we need absolute certainty now in terms of accessibility to New Zealand and this is clearly not possible” said Hart.

“We would like to thank Millbrook Resort (the tournament underwriter), The Hills, Government, the Queenstown Lakes District Council, and our many commercial partners, both domestic and international, led by our presenting sponsor Sky Sport for their support and understanding. Further thanks go to our Tour partners, New Zealand Golf, our professional players, our sold-out amateur field, and our amazing volunteer force.”

“This is not a decision we have made lightly, and we are particularly disappointed for the Queenstown region who have suffered many setbacks during this Covid-19 era.”

“We are very proud of what we have created with the New Zealand Open becoming one of New Zealand’s most recognised and applauded international sporting events.”

“We remain very committed to once again showcasing the very best of Queenstown and New Zealand in February 2022 at a time when hopefully we will all be operating in a more certain and safer environment.”

Australian Brad Kennedy is the current New Zealand Open champion and will now reign for two years having won the 2020 version in March of this year when defeating rising Australian star Lucas Herbert by two shots at the Millbrook Resort.

The news comes on top of recent cancellations of major golf events in Australia including the Australian Men’s and Women’s Opens, The Australian PGA Championship and the Vic Open, leaving a huge gap in professional tournament golf in this region this summer.

The 10th hole at The Hills – spectacular everywhere you look