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Josh Younger’s upward trajectory has continued with a tie for third at the BNI Indonesian Masters in Jakarta, all but securing the Victorian full status on the Asian Tour for 2020.
Ten years into his professional career, Younger broke through for his maiden win at the AV Jennings NSW Open at Twin Creeks a fortnight ago and recaptured that form at Royale Jakarta Golf Club.
Tournament leader after playing the first 36 holes bogey free, Younger stumbled with a third round of 2-over 74 but bounced back in admirable style on Sunday, a 6-under 66 moving him back within the top five and six shots back of runaway winner and 2019 Asian Tour No.1 Jazz Janewattananond.
Continuing to find the Royale Jakarta layout to his liking, Younger was blemish-free on his front nine in the final round, making the turn in 4-under 32 to move up the leaderboard.
After a successful up-and-down at the par-4 10th he continued his charge with birdies at 12 and 13 before dropping a shot at the 399-metre par-4 14th.
A birdie at the 16th hole got Younger back to 6-under on his round and an all-important spot inside the top five.
By virtue of his top-five finish Younger is now exempt into the field for this week’s Thailand Masters in Pattaya where he can solidify his place inside the top 60 on the Habitat for Humanity Standings.
With barely $US10,000 in prize money prior to the Indonesian Masters, Younger was sitting outside the top 100 on the Order of Merit and in need of something special to move within the cut-off for those who automatically keep their card for the following year.
The 35-year-old now enters the final event of the year 56th on the moneylist and in position to control his own destiny.
Veteran Marcus Fraser moved up into a tie for 26 courtesy of a final round of 5-under 67 while Travis Smyth’s 4-under 68 was highlighted by an ace at the par-3 15th.
Younger, Scott Hend, Terry Pilkadaris and Daniel Fox are currently the only Aussies in the field for the Thailand Masters, Fox riding the Order of Merit bubble in 60th position on the Habitat for Humanity Standings.
Asian Tour
BNI Indonesian Masters
Royale Jakarta Golf Club, Jakarta
T3 Josh Younger 66-65-74-66—271 $US42,375
T26 Marcus Fraser 71-72-71-67—281 $6,417
T33 Travis Smyth 69-71-74-68—282 $5,325
T33 Steven Jeffress 65-71-72-74—282 $5,325
T39 David Gleeson 70-71-73-69—283 $4,450
T45 Terry Pilkadaris 72-69-71-72—284 $3,937
T50 Adam Blyth 70-72-72-72—286 $3,300
59 Scott Hend 70-73-71-76—290 $2,475
MC Sam Brazel 70-74—144
MC Andrew Martin 76-69—145
MC Daniel Fox 73-72—145
A resurgent Team USA has secured the 2019 Presidents in a dominant final day at Royal Melbourne Golf Club.
A rampant US outfit gained an almighty eight points in a breath-taking last stand that secured the Americans’ 11th Presidents Cup in the competition’s 13th campaign.
The US won six of the 12 final day matches to close two points clear – 16 to 14 – at the Black Rock course.
“We did it together. We came here as a team. My teammates, my boys all played well and the captains did an amazing job,” an emotional Team USA captain Tiger Woods said.
“I couldn’t have done it without their help. All my boys. They did it.
“It’s been one of the more amazing experiences. We relied on one another as a team and they did it, together.
“I trust my guys .. I told them so. This Cup wasn’t going to be given to us, we had to go and earn it, and we did.”
The final stages provided some of the most enthralling duels in the tournament’s rich history.
The Internationals’ two-point overnight lead was squandered on the greens, with the team failing to capture key opportunities with the putter.
The US leapt to a three-point lead before Cameron Smith rallied in a never-say-die takedown to inspire a late fightback for the Internationals.
He steamrolled Justin Thomas to close 2&1 as Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman were locked in tense battles with Matt Kuchar and Rickie Fowler respectively.
Oosthuizen, who led after the first hole to the 15th, relinquished his 3 UP advantage as a spirited Kuchar dug deep to tie their match.
Leishman was unable to hold onto his back nine lead, having to settle to a draw at the 18th, as jubilant US team celebrated another successful tour.
The Internationals mustered just two victories – Smith and Sungjae Im – and settled for four ties.
Team USA, led by Tiger Woods and major winners Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed, got off to a flying start in the drama-filled day before the Internationals recovered to quell their rivals’ momentum.
But the US, thanks to captain Tiger, struck the first blow, with the 15-time major winner defeating Abraham Ancer 3&2, securing the first points of the day.
Woods, a nine-time Presidents Cup player, has won the most matches (27-15-1) in the history of the time-honoured tournament.
Dustin Johnson defeated Hatong Li 4&3 while his teammate Patrick Reed was too good for CT Pan, winning 4&2.
Hideki Matsuyama relinquished a 4 UP advantage to tie with a rampant Tony Finau.
21-year-old Im struck back for the Internationals, overcoming US Open winner Gary Woodland 4&3 to square the total scores in the seesaw affair late in play.
Adam Hadwin had the opportunity to put away Bryson DeChambeau, but the Canadian two-putted for par on the 18th to tie.
But the resolute USA outfit rebounded strongly, with Patrick Cantlay registering a comfortable 3&2 win over Jaquin Niemann to go one clear of the Internationals.
Xander Schauffele secured a vital 2&1 victory over Adam Scott to extend the away team’s lead.
Scott forged to reduce a four-match deficit to give himself a fighting chance thru 16.
But the former world no.1 bold bid was dashed on the 17th, as Schauffele got the match-winning upper hand with par.
Webb Simpson’s 2&1 win over Byeong Hun An has pushed the US team to a three-point advantage with three matches in play.
Former PGA TOUR Commissioner and the Vice Chairman of First Tee Tim Finchem and CEO of PGA of Australia Gavin Kirkman announced the launch of the First Tee of Australia.
Presidents Cup and its Global Partner, Citi, helped launch the efforts through the Citi 44 Million Yard Challenge, an interactive global experience for fans to drive a golf ball around the world while driving toward the opportunity to bring the First Tee chapter to Australia.
The chapter will be managed by PGA of Australia and will engage with local community groups to reach underserved teenagers.
Initially, the program will be offered at three program locations in Melbourne with plans to expand throughout the country in the next several years.
Coaches are being provided with formal training to introduce the teens to the First Tee’s curriculum with an emphasis on personal development and understanding of core values and life skills, using golf as the platform.
“The chapter will utilise the sport of golf to teach the First Tee’s core values of honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, judgement and courtesy,” CEO of PGA of Australia Gavin Kirkman said.
“We are proud that our PGA Members have been selected to be the program deliverers of the First Tee in Australia and I look forward to witnessing youth develop under the mentorship of PGA of Australia Professionals.”
This will be the sixth international location for First Tee, a youth development organisation that seamlessly integrates the game of golf with a life skills curriculum.
“Already such an exciting week for golf in Australia with the Presidents Cup’s return to Melbourne, we are thrilled about this formation of a First Tee chapter in Australia and the opportunity to teach the game of golf and its core values to countless youth in the future,” said the First Tee Vice Chairman Tim Finchem.
“We are extremely grateful for Presidents Cup Global Partner Citi, the First Tee and the PGA of Australia for their support in bringing this initiative to life throughout Melbourne and all of Australia.”
Leading up to the announcement and this week’s Presidents Cup, fans participated in the Citi 44 Million Yard Challenge to collectively drive a golf ball 44 million yards – the length it takes to circle the globe – for the 2019 Presidents Cup, while driving towards the launch of the First Tee of Australia.
The Challenge included an interactive web-based game, a mobile game and a simulator that was placed throughout Australia and New York.
“Citi is proud to be the presenting sponsor of the First Tee chapter in Australia,” said Guy Matthews, Head of Corporate Affairs for Citi Australia and New Zealand.
“We see this is as a legacy of our partnership with the Presidents Cup here in Melbourne. The values of the First Tee are well-aligned with our philanthropic commitments to support young people as they gain the skills to succeed in their transition from education to employment.”
The launch featured a variety of First Tee golf activities at Victoria Golf Club being demonstrated by 2019 Women’s PGA Champion Hannah Green, two-time Presidents Cup member Nick O’Hern and former AFL footballer and avid golfer Brendon Goddard.
Brendon Goddard said that
“The First Tee program is great and allows the game of golf to be the vehicle to instil morals into young people like respect and sportsmanship that are so valuable in day-to-day life,” Goddard said.
“The greatest coaches that I have had in football are the ones that not only made me a better footballer, but a better person.”
Hannah Green said participating in golf helped shape the person she is today.
“When I grew up playing I learnt a lot about myself being at the golf club learning values from those around me and I think that First Tee is a great program aimed at highlighting these life values. I think it’s great that First Tee is coming to Australia,” Green said.
First Tee has been in existence for 22 years, primarily in the United States, and has grown to approximately 150 chapters and over 1200 program locations including Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, Mexico and Morocco.
Since its inception in 1997, First Tee has impacted more than 15 million young people through its character-building programs on golf courses, in schools and at youth-serving locations.
For more information on First Tee, visit thefirsttee.org.
Matt Jones is a two-time Emirates Australian Open champion and that can only feel good.
The 39-year-old Australian joined the likes of Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman and Peter Thomson as a multiple winner of the Stonehaven Cup when he held off South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen by a shot in a magnificent finish to the 104th championship at The Australian today.
It augments the title he won at the same venue – his home course – in 2015. Adding to the sense of déjà vu, he had a similar putt of just more than a metre to win the Open today, and lipped it in via the left edge.
“No, I like to make it interesting,” he said, with the wry smile of a satisfied man. “It couldn’t have been an easier putt, this one. The first one (in 2015) I didn’t really know the read. This one I could hit it as firm as I wanted. It could have hit the right edge and it would have gone in. But I thought I’d hit it pretty soft and just trickle in the left side.’’
He is the 19th man to win multiple Australian Opens, and he was embraced by his family – wife Melissa and daughters Savannah, Saber and Simone – on the 72nd green before an adoring crowd, many of them well aware that Jones is a Sydney boy who made good in America.
“To be on the trophy with Jack and Gary and Greg and Adam (Scott), Rory (McIlroy), Jordan (Spieth); to be able to do it twice is very special and something that I’ll be able to look back on later in life and be very proud of,’’ he said.
In 2015, he had come so close to missing his title-clinching putt that he arched back in utter relief as it dropped. This time, he managed a little fist pump after posting 69, his fourth round in the 60s.
The finish was befitting a storied championship. Jones, who started out with a three-shot lead, had looked unassailable for most of the day, especially once he rattled in a birdie putt from long range on the 17th green.
But Oosthuizen, playing one group ahead, conjured a sensational eagle at the par-five 18th to post 14-under overall, meaning that Jones at 15-under needed to par the last to win. It was the closest anyone had come to him all day.
Worse, Jones had a miscommunication with a reporter and thought that he only needed to make a bogey to win. Then the Australian turned his drive over into the left trap, and his punch shot from the sand hit a tree and dropped down into pine needles below. Calamity seemed possible. Reaching the green, Jones saw an electronic scoreboard that revealed he had to get his ball up and down.
Ultimately Jones did what he had to do. From the front fringe of the green he chipped beautifully, up to just more than a metre, and made the putt.
He’s never been a prolific winner of professional tournaments but in Sydney and in particular at The Australian, he’s a world-beater. He led from partway through the second round until he breasted the tape.
“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,” he said. “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.”
Oosthuizen was superb, shooting a 66 and proving his bona fides a few days out from the Presidents Cup. Queenslander Aaron Pike (69) and Japanese amateur Takumi Kanaya tied third at nine-under, a full five shots farther back. Veteran Greg Chalmers (67) was in the group at eight-under, along with American Cameron Tringale and England’s Paul Casey.
Jones, Pike and Kanaya all locked up starts in the Open Championship at Royal St Georges next year.
The Australian Open moves to Kingston Heath next year.
FINAL RESULTS
MULTIPLE WINNERS – AUSTRALIAN OPEN
7 wins
Gary Player: 1958, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1969, 1970, 1974
6 wins
Jack Nicklaus: 1964, 1968, 1971, 1975, 1976, 1978
5 wins
Greg Norman: 1980, 1985, 1987, 1995, 1996
Ivo Whitton: 1912, 1913, 1926, 1929, 1931 (amateur)
4 wins
Ossie Pickworth: 1946, 1947, 1948, 1954
3 wins
Peter Thomson: 1951, 1967, 1972
Norman Von Nida: 1950, 1952, 1953
Carnegie Clark: 1906, 1910, 1911
2 wins
Jordan Spieth: 2014, 2016
Peter Senior: 1989, 2012
Greg Chalmers: 1998, 2011
Robert Allenby: 1994, 2005
Peter Lonard: 2003, 2004
Aaron Baddeley: 1999, 2000 (first win as amateur)
Frank Phillips: 1957, 1961
Jim Ferrier: 1938, 1939 (both as an amateur)
Fred Popplewell: 1925, 1929
Michael Scott: 1904, 1907 (both as an amateur)
Matt Jones 2015, 2019
Matt Jones begins the final round of the 2019 Emirates Australian Open with a chance to claim a second Stonehaven Cup from a three-stroke tournament lead.
Beginning his 55th tournament hole with from 13-under, Jones will want to fire early and extend his lead over the competitive field within striking distance.
American Cameron Tringale begins the day at 10-under, ahead of Japanese amateur Takumi Kanya, Englishman Paul Casey and South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen at 9-under the card.
Aussie favourite Marc Leishman will need to post good numbers to run down the leaders from 7-under the card but if anyone is capable, it’s the man from Warnambool.
As well as the win, Kiwi young gun Denzel Ieremia will also be aiming for a place in the field at The 149th Open at Royal St George’s in 2020.
The leading three players who finish in the top ten and ties at the Emirates Australian Open will earn a place at the prestigious event from 12-19 July.
Watch all of the #AusOpenGolf action at The Australian on channel Seven live from 12pm until 5pm and view live scores at pga.org.au or on the PGA Tour of Australasia app.
Get live updates from the course via our Twitter (@PGAofAustralia) and Instagram (@pgatouraus) and use the hashtag #AusOpenGolf.
Matt Jones is a day and a solid round away from becoming a two-time Emirates Australian Open champion.
The 39-year-old Arizona-based Sydney professional extended his lead in the third round at The Australian today with a fine 68, three-under par, reaching 13-under overall, rallying on the easier back nine on a day that was difficult for almost everyone.
His nearest challenger is American Cameron Tringale, who came to Sydney with his wife Tasha on a sponsor’s invitation and planned a holiday here as well for their anniversary. If Tringale can go low tomorrow, they might have some more celebrating to do.
Tringale is at 10-under after a 69 today, while three players – South African Louis Oosthuizen, England’s Paul Casey and Japan’s boom amateur Takumi Kanaya – are nine-under, four shots from the lead and still in contention.
Jones is plainly the man to beat, and his back nine of 32 showed it today. After treading water through nine holes and losing the lead to Oosthuizen, he hit iron shots close at the 10th, 12th and 13th holes for birdies to regain the lead, rammed another birdie home at the 16th to extend the break to four. Then after a lapse at the 17th where he drove into a tyre track down the right, he birdied the last, tidying up his work in that economical, clinical fashion that is his wont.
The way he played the par-five 18th was typical of his approach this week; authoritative and unhesitating. After a nice drive, he launched a gorgeous mid-iron shot out over the pond on the right and drew it back on to the green, two-putted for birdie and headed to the media centre for a third, straight day.
He’d endured the travails of the day without so much as a grimace or a change of disposition, even at the 17th, where he drove into a wheel mark, declined a free drop because he feared the ball would plug, then watched his second shot trickle back on to the fairway after it wedged against a spectator’s handbag.
“I was very calm out there today,’’ he said. “My caddie 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.”
It was a topsy-turvy day at The Australian and the fluky breeze and tough pin positions only added to the drama. Jamie Arnold, the Sydney pro, went around in 64, but this was against the grain. He took just 20 putts, which went some way to explaining why this would be the best round of the day by four shots. A 68 was next-best and the scoring average leaked out to 72.
Five players had a hand on the lead at different stages – Jones, Tringale, Oosthuizen, Casey, and New Zealander Denzel Ieremia, who imploded at the final hole when he took on the water and lost. Many players struggled; in the final group, Dimi Papadotas shot a 75 that included a lost ball in a tree on the 12th, and a water ball at the last as well.
Oosthuizen was in front, gave the ground back, then chipped in on the 17th. He shot 70 without playing especially well. Casey wilted in the middle of his round, hitting his approach at the par-four ninth into the left trap and taking a double bogey six, shooting 71. Both remain in with a chance and both are world class.
Casey said he thought he may need a Rod Pampling-esque 61 to win 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,’’ said Casey. “I played a wonderful round of golf on Friday; I need to try and replicate that tomorrow.’’
Jones looks as though he knows he can win and if he does, he will join the likes of Jordan Spieth, Greg Chalmers, Robert Allenby and Aaron Baddeley of his contemporaries to have lifted the Stonehaven Cup twice. In 2015 when he won here, he made a double bogey at the ninth and opened the door for everyone, only to bolt it shut again late. This time, he has that experience in his memory bank.
“I’m sure I can draw on it,’’ he said. “I haven’t won a lot of golf in my life. I’ve won (the) Houston Open, won a couple of other smaller tournaments and then the Australian Open, but it’s only four years past, and I’ll draw on some of that experience tomorrow, of course.’’
Jones, Tringale and Kanaya tee off at 12.01 tomorrow. Oosthuizen, Casey and Arnold are in the second-last group at 11.50am.
#AusOpenGolf leader Matt Jones will look to extend his lead at The Australian this morning when he tees off from the first at 11:55am.
Jones, who leads by one stroke at 10-under the card, will be joined by Englishman Paul Casey and fellow New South Welshman Dimi Papadatos in the third round of the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia tournament.
The front-running trio will need to bring their A-game to the course on moving day, however, as a stacked field full of talent lurks closely behind.
Tied for fourth place alongside Cameron Tringale, Denzel Ieremia, Takumi Kanaya and Shae Wools-Cobb, South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen is poised to pounce at 8-under the card.
His ability to go low is renowned but the familiar faces of Marc Leishman and Brett Rumford, both with a wealth of experience, also remain four shots behind and well within striking distance.
Windy conditions are expected to challenge the field at Sydney’s The Australian Golf Club on Saturday.
Visit pga.org.au for live scores in round three or follow us on Twitter at @PGAofAustralia or Instagram at @pgatouraus for live updates from the course.
Matt Jones has set himself up for a look at a second Emirates Australian Open title following a 6-under second round at The Australian.
The New South Welshman who calls America home leads the field at 10-under the card following a round that featured seven birdies and a lone bogey at the 11th.
Sitting one shot clear of Paul Casey and Dimi Papadatos in second place, Jones believes another title could be within reach if all goes his way on moving day.
“Any time you get to lead is fantastic. It would have been better to be more in front, but I’ll take one in front,” Jones said.
“(There’s) 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.
“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.”
Previous experience at the famed Australian layout will be of benefit to Jones whose composure under pressure will prove crucial come crunch time.
“Knowing where to miss a golf course I find is very important to me, so I kind of know where to miss and the types of shot you’ll need in certain areas if you do miss a green regulation,” he said.
“I do rely on my short game a lot. This week it’s not as necessary, you can putt from everywhere, so chipping is not a huge necessity this week.
“I’ve got a lot of experience around here and I’m going to have to use that the next two days.”
Englishman Paul Casey claimed an early lead with the first of many 6-under 65 rounds from the course on Friday morning to sit at 9-under the card through 36 holes.
Casey took advantage of benign morning conditions to record four consecutive birdies on the run into the clubhouse in what he says is a change of form compared to round one.
“I’ve not been able to get it close to any flag for about a day and a half and then suddenly the back nine for me, the front nine, the last half a dozen holes, suddenly some really good birdie opportunities,” Casey said.
Challenge Tour winner Dimi Papadatos will take the same approach into the Australian Open weekend as he did for his second-place result in 2018 with hopes to go one better from a two-round total of 9-under.
“Last year was a bit of a surprise and I played well. 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,” Papadatos said.
A truly international field follows the top three with American Cameron Tringale, South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen, Kiwi Denzel Ieremia, Japan’s Takumi Kanaya and Queensland young gun Shae Wools-Cobb tied for fourth at 8-under.
Fan favourite Adam Scott has missed the Australian Open cut and two extra rounds of preparation ahead of next week’s Presidents Cup after struggling through his opening 18 holes.
Scott found his groove following a morning range session that included an adjustment to his stance and swing but a 4-under second round for even par was not enough to see 39-year-old through to the weekend.
The second-round cut was made at 1-under the card, seeing 71 players through to day three.
Moving day at The Australian promises to be full of action as a stacked leaderboard fight for position in the chase for the Stonehaven Cup.
The winner of the Australian Open will receive the winner’s share of the $1,500,000 prize purse and World Golf Ranking Points while the top three places also receive exemption into The Open field in 2020.
The third round of the Australian Open tees off at 6:58am. The leading group of Jones, Casey and Papadatos will take to the course at 11:55am AEDT.
Paul Casey has closed his second round at The Australian with four consecutive birdies to take the lead of the 2019 Emirates Australian Open.
A bogey at the third was the only hiccup on an otherwise pleasing scorecard for Casey who completed the second round with a total of 9-under; six strokes better than his overnight score.
“The last four was nice. I’ve not been able to get it close to any flag for about a day and a half and then suddenly the back nine for me, the front nine, the last half a dozen holes, suddenly some really good birdie opportunities,” Casey said.
“I don’t know if it was fully in the zone but it was really nice stuff and it felt really good, so suddenly from a case of sort of bumbling around, just a couple under par, challenging for lead, and in the lead right now; so good stuff.”
After battling difficult, smoky conditions yesterday afternoon the benign morning that greeted the field was welcomed by Casey but the Englishman insists both settings played little part in his overall performance.
“I didn’t really change anything. The strategy stayed the same, continued to hit very similar tee shots to the tee shots I hit yesterday,” he said.
“Still stuck in the bunker on the right on five; it always seems the same, but the outcome was different. But that could be something as simple as I said yesterday, there are variables that do change, such as pin positions, and that was the case a little bit today.”
Low scores were there for the taking in the morning of round two where six players including Casey, Deyen Lawson, Cameron Tringale, Denzel Ieremia and Mark Brown posted best-of-the-day scores of 6-under the card.
Tringale’s efforts elevated the American up to a tie for second place alongside Louis Oosthuizen, Ieremia and Queensland’s Shae Wools-Cobb at 8-under.
Crowd favourite Adam Scott may have done just enough to progress to the weekend with a second round of 4-under.
After struggling through his opening 18 holes, Scott found his groove again following a morning range session that included an adjustment to his stance and swing, enabling him to crawl back from a 4-over overnight score to sit at even-par.
“I adjusted my posture this morning on the range and changed the path of my swing a little bit and it was a good move, because I was really struggling out there yesterday,” Scott said.
“It was better. It wasn’t feeling amazing out there today, it was hard work, but definitely on the right path today.
“Hopefully I didn’t shoot myself in the foot with a bad round yesterday and I’d like to play two more rounds and keep working on this. You never know, I can have a decent result here and then be in good form going into next week and the PGA.”
Following the second round a cut will be made to the top 60 players and ties. The cut currently stands at even par as the afternoon field takes to The Australian layout.
Overnight leader Chun-An Yu went enjoyed a quiet day on course for 1-under and a 7-under two-round total.
For live scores from The Australian Golf Club visit pga.org.au, follow @PGAofAustralia on Twitter or @pgatouraus on Instagram and use the hashtag #AusOpenGolf.
Japan’s Takumi Kanaya shot the lights out at the Emirates Australian Open today, but he was not the only amateur to shine through the gloom of a hazy, surreal day at The Australian.
Japan’s Takumi Kanaya shot the lights out at the Emirates Australian Open today, but he was not the only amateur to shine through the gloom of a hazy, surreal day at The Australian.
The smoke haze from the dozens of fires still burning in New South Wales came and went through the day, but late in the afternoon Chinese Taipei’s Chun An Yu matched Kanaya’s opening 65 and they will wake up on Friday with a share of the lead.
The conditions were so bad after lunch that Adam Scott, who faltered in an opening 75, said he felt like he needed “a full body cleanse”. Matt Jones, the 2015 national champion who shot 67, said he’d seen nothing like it. But as Scott observed: “It’s the same for everyone and we’re out here playing, so you’ve got to get on with it.”
The conditions were pristine in the morning but when the wind came up and switched to the north-east in the afternoon, The Australian was enveloped in choking smoke. It was meant to have passed, but it had not.
Kanaya and Yu lead by two shots from a cluster of players at four-under 67, including Jones, the hometown hero, another New South Welshman Dimi Papadatos and Queenslander Daniel Nisbet.
Of the bigger names, Queenslander Cameron Smith and South African Louis Oosthuizen were impressive with opening 68s, Marc Leishman was solid with a 69 and Spaniard Sergio Garcia began with a one-under 70, while England’s Paul Casey carded a 68 in the afternoon.
Kanaya won’t be collecting the prizemoney but don’t be surprised if he wins. He recently won the Taiheiyo Masters, one of the biggest tournaments on the Japanese Tour. It’s not an issue for him, although he was anxious afterwards when he pointed out “I have three more days’’.
He has an Australian coach, Gareth Jones, who ran the South Australian elite amateur program before he went to Japan a few years ago. In turn, the Japanese program has been pumping out great players, with Kanaya, an Asia-Pacific Amateur champion already, at the forefront.
He played The Australian in this tournament four years ago, and recalled shooting an 85 in the second round to miss the cut. But he picked up some things even then. “I learned (the) Australian golf style. I just (knew) Japanese golf style before 17 years old.”
Kanaya was near the lead throughout his round after four consecutive birdies on his front nine, starting from the 10thtee. But then two remarkable birdies to close, at the tough eighth and the ninth with a 10-metre bomb, put the exclamation mark on his day.
As for Chinese Taipei’s Yu, he is well and truly familiar with Kanaya’s work. The two of them have competed together on the same amateur stages, with Yu breaking a few records while playing on the University of Arizona golf team.
“I know the course a little bit,” he said. “I played great out there and hopefully tomorrow I can do it again.”
The 2015 champion Jones is the highest profile player in the group at four-under, relishing the fact that he can play at a club he joined in 1995. His highlight came at the par-five 18th, which he eagled with a putt from eight metres that he was still laughing about afterwards.
“If it didn’t go in, it could have gone in the water, the putt was going that firm,” he said. “I didn’t hit a good putt. It hit the back of the hole, popped up and went straight down. Geoff (Ogilvy, who was in the same group) and I both laughed because it was definitely going off the green.”
Jones hopes for better conditions from tomorrow. “I’m not sure what the forecast is, but the smoke’s not good at all. It’s tough to see your golf ball when you’re out there playing, where it finishes. Your eyes do burn. I’ve got that cough like you’ve got something in your lungs, phlegm in your lungs or whatever, but it’s not fun. I hope my kids are inside in the hotel room.”
The second round starts at 6.45am.
