Jones joins legends of the Open

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.

Matt Jones with family — Matt Jones celebrating with his wife Melissa, and daughter Savannah, Saber and Simone.

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 10^th, 12^th and 13^th holes for birdies to regain the lead, rammed another birdie home at the 16^th to extend the break to four. Then after a lapse at the 17^th 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 18^th 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 17^th, 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 12^th, and a water ball at the last as well.

Oosthuizen was in front, gave the ground back, then chipped in on the 17^th. 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 11^th.

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.

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.

Victorian Matthew Griffin is one of four Australians to have qualified for this week’s Golf Nippon Series JT Cup, the 30-man Tour Championship for the Japan Golf Tour.

Here Griffin explains why it is a tournament he simply had to play, his disappointment at missing the Australian Open and why getting back on the plane has been harder than ever in 2019.

It’s really difficult to be away this week.

I’ve always tried to prioritise the Australian Open. As an Australian it’s the one tournament you really want to win so every time you miss it it’s hard to take.

If it was anything but the Tour Championship I’d definitely be home but having put in five years of work up here in Japan and finally getting to this level, as much as I would like to be home you simply can’t miss it.

This week is almost a celebration of the end of the year for the guys that have made it. Everyone who is here has had a great year so it’s nice to be recognised amongst that.

I know over the last few weeks as it got a little bit closer to me getting in you start to feel a bit of pressure to stay inside that top 30. It’s definitely not the same as trying to hold onto your card but you absolutely want to get into this field.

I didn’t realise that it had been so long since there had been four Aussies in this event but I did know when Anthony Quayle got in that four was a really good representation of the Aussie guys over here. The other good thing this year is that all the Aussies who played on the tour kept their full playing rights. That’s pretty rare when there are eight or nine of us up here doing it.

I was fortunate to get a couple of good results up early in the season which not only took the pressure off making sure I had a job for next year but also gave me the opportunity to spend some extra time at home.

At the start of the year I knew my wife Liz and I would welcome our first child midway through the year and with that would come some additional pressure.

In the back of my mind I was really hopeful that I’d get off to the start that I did. That meant that when Jack came into the world on June 21 I was able to have a few extra weeks at home with him and Liz that I may not otherwise have had.

This was actually supposed to be the last of a five-week stretch for me up here in Japan but it got a little bit too much for me being away from them and I had to go home last week and spend a few days with the family, which was great.

It might be the accountant in me coming out but the hardest thing when you are away from home now is that the opportunity cost of being away is greater. When you tee it up in a tournament you do feel some pressure to play well because if you’re sitting in your hotel room on the weekend with no work to do it makes you miss home a little bit more.

At the opposite end, getting back on the plane at home in Melbourne to come away has been very difficult, especially as Jack has grown and become a bit more interactive. If you are going to be away for weeks at a time you understand at this age that he’s going to be a different person by the time you get home.

I’m glad this week is only one week away because when they give you that little smile it melts your heart. I really don’t know how I’ll handle it when he’s old enough to say, ‘Don’t go Daddy.’

The Aussie guys that I’ve spoken to up here all say that it does get harder, when the kids start to say that they miss you and the like. David Bransdon’s daughter wrote a card for him at school saying, ‘I wish my Dad didn’t go away so much.’ I know for all the guys that just breaks their heart.

If I’m being honest, I didn’t quite realise how difficult it would be going away. If I’m going away and having good years like this then I think I can cope with it because the benefit for your family is so great. But if golf was to become a struggle and you’re just getting by, you’d definitely have to look at exploring some other paths.

The other side of it is that whilst we do travel that 20-25 weeks of the year, when we’re home we’re at home a lot. If you’re working 9-5 or 9-7 you barely see your kids anyway so there are costs and benefits in all of it.

I’ll be home next week – I’m actually taking Liz to the Presidents Cup next Thursday and going with friends on Saturday – and then I’ll play the PGA on the Gold Coast.

After that, I’m booked in for some quality father-son time.

Josh Younger has won his maiden career title at the NSW Open following a two-hole playoff against New South Welshman Travis Smyth.

After a double-bogey on his final hole for a total of 17-under, Younger endured a nervous wait as Smyth completed the 17th and 18th holes.

Sitting at 18-under, Smyth bogeyed 17 to level the scores though with a par at 18 forced the playoff with scores tied.

You couldn’t separate Younger and Smyth during the first playoff hole at the 18th with each making par.

It would take a patch of brilliance for Younger to secure his first ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia title.

The second time around, Younger attacked the flag to land within seven-feet of the hole. The Victorian described the championship-winning putt as the most thrilling of his career.

“It’s relief,” he said of finally notching a first win.

“I’ve been (a professional) for 10 years. I got pipped in a playoff in New Zealand PGA in 2016, finished runner up at the (Australian) Masters, so I sort of haven’t really gotten near it as much,” Younger said.

“It’s just so hard to win, that’s the reality of it. There’s 150 blokes each week, competition is just that good now and the cards have got to fall your way.

“There’s times where you can play your best tournament and someone just has better. There are other times when it might fall your way a little bit so it’s a massive relief.”

Younger took the lead of the tournament with an opening round of 63 and an followed up with 70, 67 and 71 for his maiden win following what the 35-year-old describes as a tough year.

“I had a pretty consistent year last year. With my coach Tim we’ve been working on a bit of stuff. Every time I see him it’s been as good as it has been but I just haven’t translated it onto the golf course,” he said.

“I probably didn’t play as many events this year and then I missed the cut in Thailand and thought nope, I’m going home. When I got home I rang my mate Sean Lynch who I’ve done a bit of mental stuff with.

“I went up to Brisbane for a couple of days and I had a nice chat with him and worked on a bit of stuff and then went back home, won a two-day pro-am in Victoria then went to Malaysia last week and finished 21st so it’s sort of been trending.

“This week anytime you have a good start you’re sort of there abouts.”

Younger takes home $72,000 in prizemoney, the Kel Nagle Cup, full exemption onto the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia until the end of the 2020 season and World Golf Ranking Points.

Illawarra’s Travis Smyth narrowly missed out on a second ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia title after landing his second shot long of the pin at the second playoff hole.

Across strong rounds of 65, 69, 66 and 71 Smyth remained in contention throughout the tournament at Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club.

Young gun Min Woo Lee had a chance to join the playoff with a putt for birdie at 18 but a slight miss to the right saw him finish in outright third place at 16-under.

There was heartbreak for 24-year-old Justin Warren who at the 18th tee was tied for the lead at 17-under. A second shot missed to the left of the tight front-left pin landed in the water resulting in a double bogey and a round of 74.

Warren, who finished at 15-under the card, and Lee will both feature in next week’s Emirates Australian Open field alongside other top-10 finishers Andrew Dodt, Denzel Ieremia, Andrew Martin and James Marchesani.

The ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia now moves to The Australian Golf Club for the Emirates Australian Open from 5-8 December.

The final round of the 2019 AVJennings NSW Open is here and we are in for a thrilling final day of action at Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club.

Rising stars Min Woo Lee and Justin Warren lead the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia tournament at 17-under the card with just 18 holes to play but with a stacked field threatening to strike the round will not be without its challenges.

Sitting just one shot behind at 16-under, round one leader Josh Younger and 2017 NT PGA Championship winner Travis Smyth are well and truly in contention and looking to capitalise on the final day.

With years of experience under his belt on both the Australasian and Asian Tour, 35-year-old Younger is hungry to claim his maiden tour victory this week.

Andrew Dodt shot even-par on moving day to remain at 14-under the card but with a win under his belt already in 2019, the ability to go low and the composure to match he can’t be discounted.

The winner of the AVJennings NSW Open will not only take home the lion’s share of the $400,000 prize purse but also World Golf Ranking Points and full exemption onto the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia until the end of the 2020 season.

In addition, the top-10 players from the NSW tournament will also earn a place in the field at next week’s Emirates Australian Open.

The penultimate group of Jake Higginbottom, Dodt and Younger will take to the first tee at 10:45am following by front-runners Smyth, Lee and Warren at 10:55am.

For live scores from the AVJennings NSW Open visit pga.org.au, follow us on Twitter @PGAofAustralia or Instagram @pgatouraus for live updates from the course and from 1:30pm watch the live stream at nswopen.com.

Headlines at a glance