Home boy Rumford goes into the match play at head of the field in Oz
AUSTRALIA’S Brett Rumford led the qualifiers into the matchplay stages of the inaugural ISPS Handa World Super 6 as the experimental format delivered plenty of drama.
Perth native Rumford carded a third round of 68 at Lake Karrinyup to finish 17-underpar, five shots clear of a sixstrong group which included former Open champion Louis Oosthuizen.
A further six players finished in a tie for eighth on 11-under, with Australia’s Jake Higginbottom getting the eighth and final bye for today’s first round of six-hole match play contests on countback thanks to a flawless 66.
Eight players were then left to fight it out for the remaining five places in the top 24, with a sudden-death shootout taking place on the difficult par-four 18th.
Pars were enough for Scotland’s Duncan Stewart, India’s Jeev Milkha Singh and Australian duo Sam Brazel and Matthew Millar to advance at the first attempt, with England’s Jordan Smith and Germany’s Sebastian Heisele eliminated after they bogeyed the second extra hole.
That left New Zealand’s Ryan Fox and Thai teenager Phachara Khongwatmai to play the 18th for a third time, with the
17-year-old’s par good enough to go through after Fox three-putted.
Pre-tournament favourite Oosthuizen, who has dropped just one shot in 54 holes, had earlier carded a flawless 67 with three birdies and an eagle.
The South African said: “In the match play I’ll need to be a little bit more aggressive, play more towards the pin and see if I can get them really close and try and hit the putts a little firmer to get them there. But overall I am playing pretty good.”
WALES’ Amy Boulden produced a superb finish to rescue her chances of victory in the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open in Adelaide.
Boulden began yesterday’s third round three shots off the lead, but covered the front nine at Royal Adelaide in two-overpar before carding a double bogey on the 11th and dropping another shot on the 12th.
However, the 23-year-old responded with birdies on the 13th and 16th before holing out from a bunker to eagle the parfive 17th.
Boulden eventually signed for a 74 to finish five-under-par, five off the lead held by American Lizette Salas.
Scotland’s Gemma Dryburgh and Michele Thomson, who began four-under-par, slumped down the leaderboard after rounds of 80 and 81 respectively.