There were 13 Aussies in action at the PGA TOUR’s Charles Schwab Challenge and the Korn Ferry Tour’s Korn Ferry Challenge at TPC Sawgrass but only one Australian played in all four rounds at each event, Sutherland Shire boys Jones and Jamie Arnold.

Normally clean-shaven and sharply dressed, Jones looked as though he’d lost his razor in isolation, sporting a bushy beard and a shaggy hairdo that made him almost unrecognizable from the man who triumphed at The Australian Golf Club in December.

It didn’t impact his golf game in any negative fashion, marking the PGA TOUR’s return after 91 days with a bogey-free 4-under 66 in the opening round to be tied for 16th.

Rounds of 69-70 saw Jones start the final round in a tie for 33rd and he looked like making a Sunday impression when he completed the front nine in 2-under 33 to get to 7-under.

A failure to get up-and-down from the greenside at the par-4 10th halted his forward momentum and two more in the following two holes and a birdie at 13 saw him sign for an even par 70 and a tie for 38th, American Daniel Berger claiming the crown with a playoff victory over Collin Morikawa.

While they didn’t qualify for the weekend rounds first start back there were some positive indicators for the other five Aussies who teed it up in Texas.

Veteran John Senden played the first two rounds in 1-under while Cameron Davis, Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith each had one round in the 60s as they gear up for a busy schedule ahead.

As Kareela Golf Club junior Matt Jones led the way at Fort Worth it was a Cronulla Golf Club product who was the best of the Aussie contingent on the Korn Ferry Tour courtesy of the low round of the week at TPC Sawgrass.

Opening with a 2-over par round of 72, Jamie Arnold generated momentum at the start of his second round with a birdie at the par-3 11th – his second hole of the day – and kept the hammer down, his eight birdies and lone bogey thrusting him inside the top 10 at the halfway mark.

Birdies at the first and fifth holes further entrenched Arnold near the top of the leaderboard early in the third round but he played the next 27 holes in 10-over par, birdies at 16 and 18 a positive way to end his tournament return and a tie for 46th.

Kiwi Tim Wilkinson was two shots further back of Arnold in a tie for 56th as American Luke List claimed victory by a stroke from Shad Tuten and Joseph Bramlett.

Although he failed to make the cut, West Australian Curtis Luck left TPC Sawgrass with a memory to savour, registering the first hole-in-one of his professional career in round one at the 229-yard par-3 11th.

PGA TOUR
Charles Schwab Challenge
Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas
T38        Matt Jones          66-70-69-70—275            $US32,625
MC         John Senden       69-70—139
MC         Danny Lee           70-70—140
MC         Cameron Davis   73-68—141
MC         Marc Leishman  69-72—141
MC         Cameron Smith  69-73—142
MC         Jason Day            70-72—142

Korn Ferry Tour
Korn Ferry Challenge
TPC Sawgrass (Dye’s Valley Course), Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
T46        Jamie Arnold       72-63-72-74—281            $US2,655
T56        Tim Wilkinson     66-71-75-71—283            $2,496
MC         Brett Drewitt      72-69—141
MC         Harrison Endycott            70-72—142
MC         Brett Coletta      73-69—142
MC         Curtis Luck          67-77–144
MC         Steven Alker        71-73—144
MC         Ryan Ruffels       71-74–145
MC         Robert Allenby   73-72—145