Matt Jones yesterday shot a three-under 68 to hold a three-stroke advantage over a surging Jordan Spieth after the third round of the Australian Open.
Defending champion Spieth holed out with his shot from the fairway on the par-four 17th for an eagle, then had a tap-in birdie on 18 for a 67.
With gusty winds again affecting play on the Australian Golf Club course where Jones is a member, the US-based Australian had a 54-hole total of 10-under 203.
Photo: EPA
Australian Rhein Gibson was in third after a 68, five behind Jones.
Adam Scott rebounded from a 73 on Friday to shoot 68, including an eagle on the 18th. He is tied for seventh, nine strokes behind, as is European Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke, who shot 70.
There were only nine golfers under par. The course has been tough, with only 18 players under par after the first round and 12 after the second.
Spieth had a roller-coaster of a front nine in which he bogeyed three of his first four holes and birdied the next two before finishing the front nine with a bogey and a birdie — just two pars going out.
“I made a couple of bad swings and a couple of bad decisions,” Spieth said. “Not many pars.”
Spieth settled down initially on the back nine and had two birdies on 12 and 14 with a 10-foot par save on the 13th. The fireworks came with his shot on the 17th — an eight-iron from 181 yards which hit the front edge of the green and rolled straight toward the flag, gently nudging the pin before falling straight down into the hole.
The 22-year-old American threw his hands in the air, high-fived his caddie, Michael Greller, then gave him a light punch in the chest.
“I struck it nicely, there’s not too much room to land it up there,” Spieth said. “It’s two extra shots that you don’t expect. Great fightback, one of the best-fought rounds I’ve had that I can remember.”
Last year, Spieth shot a final-round 63 — a record on the revamped course designed by Jack Nicklaus — to win by six strokes.
Jones provided some late theatrics of his own, putting from well off the green on the 17th to hole it for a birdie.
“One more to go, and I get to play with the No. 1 player in the world,” Jones said of his final-round pairing with Spieth in the 100th Australian Open. “It will be a lot of fun. If I go out and shoot two or three-under tomorrow, I’m going to be very tough to beat. So it’s in my hands. If he shoots something amazing like last year and beats me, that’s what I’ll have to deal with.”
Scott ended a birdie drought not with his troublesome putter, but by chipping in from just off the green on the third hole. It came after he failed to make a birdie in his Friday round, and Scott said he could not recall the last time that had happened.
“It was hard going out there today, windy, the pins were tucked, but I made some putts,” Scott said. “It was a little bit of everything, but it all added up.”
Scott, who was also nine strokes behind after the second round, said he still felt he has a chance to win today, which would be his second Australian Open title after winning in 2009.
Scott, who has not won this year, has a streak of winning at least one tournament every year since 2001.
Jones and Spieth said they would do their best today to make sure Scott is not about at the end.
Taiwan amateur Yu Chun-an carded a one-over-par 72, while fellow Taiwanese Pan Cheng-tsung recorded a two-over-par 73. Both golfers recorded a total of three-over 216. The third Taiwanese participant, Liu Yen-hung, was cut from play.
Additional reporting by staff writer
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care