By Brian O’Hare
TWENTY ONE year old American Jordan Spieth showed his class to shoot a 4-under 67 and lead the 2014 Emirates Australian Open after the opening round in Sydney.
Conditions weren’t easy at the Australian Golf Club and the young American showed a clean pair of heals to his playing partners Adam Scott (74) and last week’s Australian Masters winner Nick Cullen (73).
Sharing second place at 3-under were Aussies Aron Price and Scott Gardner, who also scored a nice little Lexus for a hole-in-one on the 11th.
Playing in the morning flight world No.1 Rory McIlroy hit an encouraging 2-under 69 to lie equal fourth along with six others including Richard Green and Zimbabwee’s Brendon de Jonge.
McIlroy admitted to still being jetlagged after arriving from Dubai on Monday night and the defending champion was showing ominous signs.
“The conditions were pretty tricky,” McIlroy said after his round. “It was tough to get the ball close to the pins with the wind and these greens being quite firm as well.”
“I thought anything under par today was a decent score and it was nice to birdie the last and shoot something in the 60s. It puts me right there going into tomorrow.”
Spieth, impressive on and off the course, was delighted to be leading the national championship on his first visit to Australia.
The American, runner-up to Bubba Watson at the US Masters this year, potted three straight birdies on the 14, 15 and 16 to surge clear of the field.
“I had a great time, the patrons here are fantastic, there was great support for all of us but obviously Scotty was the favourite,” said Spieth, who outscored Scott by seven shots.
“When you know he is having a bad day, a great champion like he is, to see how positive he remains on each shot.”
“I know that I wouldn’t have handled it the way he did and that is part of what I need to learn going forward.”
The Australian course itself is in immaculate condition after its Jack Nicklaus makeover and with no signs of any rough to speak of many are saying it is presenting this week as a very American style layout.
As for Adam Scott, he began poorly and things didn’t really improve that much.
He started with a double bogey on the first – even flying the green with his greenside bunker attempt – and was down by five strokes at the turn.
He regrouped somewhat with two birdies on the back but won’t be happy with a round where his driving took a long time to get right and his putting never really did.
“Just a bad start,” Scott said. “I made the worst of my worst shots and didn’t convert any of my good ones early, and then played OK. (But) I’m on the back foot again from the start of this week.
“I have to play three really great days now. It seems that’s what I’m doing week after week. I have to claw my way back into it tomorrow morning, get into red figures and not be too far back on the weekend.”
Jordan Spieth Round 1 Media Conference
Australian Open Round 2 Tee Times Australian Open leaderboard