Frustrating first round for Spieth
SYDNEY: World No.1 Jordan Spieth trailed five shots behind leader Lincoln Tighe after the first round of the Australian Open yesterday, with the defending champion and double major winner citing tough, windy conditions.
Texas-born Spieth was tied 19th place on the first day after he recorded three birdies and an equal number of bogeys in a levelpar 71 on the Australian Club course.
Australian Tighe, 26, who is the reigning New South Wales PGA champion and is also into the final qualifying stage of next month’s PGA Tour’s secondary Web.com Tour, meanwhile, enjoyed a one-shot lead with a five-under-par 66.
He was followed by fellow Australian Matthew Jones, who shot a 67, as former Australian Open winner Geoff Ogilvy shared third place with Taiwan amateur Yu Chun-an and Australia’s Todd Sinnott — all scoring three-under-par 68s.
Spieth began his day holing a 12-foot birdie at the par-four 10th hole, which he later singled out as the highlight of a frustrating day.
He then moved to two under with a birdie at his fifth hole but dropped a shot at the next before getting back to two under with a birdie at his ninth.
The 22-year-old then bogeyed his 13th and final holes where he pulled the wrong club to leave his second shot well short of the green.
“It was difficult out there as we played a lot of holes in side-winds, so it was just a guessing game really,” he said.
“It’s been a while since I’ve played in wind like this and with the toughest part in deciding what shot to hit. You can use the same club and end up with a 30-yard difference based on if you hold the ball up or ride the wind.”
And there was no better example than at the par-four ninth hole and the 18th of his round where Spieth’s second shot was a good 10 yards short of the putting surface.
“That last hole was really tough as I just didn’t know what to hit and I ended up two clubs off, thinking the wind was helping when it was actually hurting,” he said.
“Lee [Westwood] and Geoff [Ogilvy] had the same trouble. We just had no idea. But I still should have made par.”
Australia’s Adam Scott gamely fought back from double bogeys at his seventh and ninth holes, managing to complete his inward nine in three under to join Spieth sharing 19th place at level par.