Four in a row! Nothing more to say except follow the tips this week!

It was great to see Scrivy get his first win as a Professional and what a way to do it, a final round 65!

Emirates Australian Open sees the start of the biggest fortnight of the year for most Aussie ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia players and The Australian Golf Club is in magnificent condition. TI has not been to Augusta but it is hard to imagine a better conditioned course than what the players will tackle this week.

There are two obvious picks this week with Jordan Spieth and Jason Day seemingly well ahead of the rest and in keeping with my now not so new strategy these players will be included among the tips.

However TI’s top selection will be…

Cam Smith

Beaten in a playoff last year, this proud Aussie finished 3rd in his last start in Korea behind Justin Thomas and Marc Leishman and a top-5 the week before in Malaysia has Cam primed for an assault on the Stonehaven Cup this week. Smith has been freshened since his start in Korea and looks like a man on a mission this week.

Jordan Spieth

As always looks like a true professional and a man who wants to defend his Australian Open title. TI is mighty impressed with this guy who continues to come to Australia to support our national Open. TI is no rocket scientist nor does he need to be to select Spieth as his record 1st, 2nd, 1st suggests he is certainly the man to beat this week. The Spieth, Smith and Matt Jones grouping will be followed by large galleries in the next couple of days.

Jason Day

Day has made the trip to play the Australian Open this year and let’s hope this becomes a regular event on his schedule. He will be a serious contender this week and with a number of players comparing the condition of the Australian Golf Club to Augusta. Day will be hoping to play well here and use the confidence to kick start his 2018 PGA TOUR season.

Jason Scrivener

Scriv Could very well go back-to-back. Players often get hot and play a number of good events in a row and the WA boy could just continue his hot form this week. TI wrote last week that he was too good a player not to have won, now that he has he is too good of a player not to win a marquee tournament. I note to that his caddy’s choice of sock has not improved…

Rhein Gibson

Rhein has his old mentor Peter Jaeger (Club Pro at Lismore GC and Gibbo’s biggest supporter) on the bag and believes he is in career best form. He has played well at the Aussie Open before and like Scrivener is too good a player not to have won a big event.

TI is aware that five winning tips in a row is a big task and is prepared to declare now (perhaps with a little arrogance) that he has the winner listed in his tips!

Best of luck to all the players this week with this week, a great opportunity to set up some good playing opportunities in 2018.