When Adam Scott brings his A-game, he’s the aristocrat of world golf.
And this was the case for the first 27 holes of the Australian Masters as he produced flawless golf to lead the competition at Huntingdale by five shots at 11-under.
Then Scott’s Hyde side surfaced at the 10th with a double bogey, his tee shot at 13 found water for a bogey, and the five-shot lead was cut to just one as Peter Wilson, ranked 1135 in the world, went on a birdie burst.
When Scott bogeyed the last he was joint leader going into the weekend with Wilson at eight-under.
“I lost my momentum,” was how Scott explained his instant drop in form.
That doesn’t make sense, but there have been many times over the years when a triple or double, or both, have cost Scott tournament wins – unbecoming the former world number one.
Let’s see how Scott scrubs up today, with Wilson, Matthew Guyatt, American George McNeill, Andrew Evans, and Brett Rumford pressing. Rumford’s flawless 64 with seven birdies was the best round yesterday.
And don’t discount John Senden, Matt Goggin, and Nathan Holmes as well at five-under.
The most interesting contender at three-under is the 22-year-old American Bryson DeChambeau who is the current NCAA Division 1 and US Amateur champion, only the fifth to achieve the double in the same year after Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, and Ryan Moore.
Even more interesting, DeChambeau’s irons and wedges have exactly the same shaft lengths, and the grips on all his clubs are as thick as a cricket bat handle.
And he can play.
It is good to see some blasts from the past making the cut – Stephen Leaney at three-under, Peter Senior and Nick O’Hern at two-under, and Peter Fowler at one-under.
But other blasts didn’t make the three-over cut – Peter Leonard (five-over), Steve Bowditch and Nicolas Colsaert (seven-over), and Craig Parry at 11-over, which doesn’t augur well for his entry into the US Champions tour next year.
In Dubai, if world number three Rory McIlroy wins Europe’s final tournament of the year – the World Tour Championship – he will bank 7.8 million pounds, or $16.53 million in 2015 without winning a major.
And that’s purely on-course.
McIroy’s in the best position to win with 3.3 million points in the season-long standings, compared to Danny Willett’s 3.2 million, and Justin Rose’s 2.9.
But it’s the 28-year-old Englishman Andy Sullivan who is on top of the leaderboard at the halfway stage at 12-under after back-to-back 66s.
Enjoying his best season since turning pro in 2011, Sullivan is the only golfer on the European tour to win three times this year.
He’s playing superbly with an eagle, 11 birdies, and just the one bogey after 36 holes.
Right behind Sullivan at 11-under is the 22-year-old Argentine Emiliano Grillo with 69 64.
Grillo won on debut at the Fry-Com Open on the USPGA tour last month, beating veteran Kevin Na in his 300th tournament, in a play-off.
American Patrick Reed is next at 9-under with 70 65, one shot to the good of Charl Schwartzel’s 71 65, Thongchai Jaidee’s 69 67, and McIlroy’s 68 68.
Marcus Fraser is the only Australian in the 60-strong field.
He shared the first round lead with a 66, but could only manage an even par 72 overnight to be in a tie for 13th with six others at 6-under.
"It looked like it was gonna go for miles - and then it went nowhere!"
An “unshakeable” Scottie Scheffler has claimed his second Masters green jacket in three years, carding a four-under-par 68 to finish four shots clear of…
A day after setting a tournament record in the Masters, Tiger Woods has suffered an unwanted milestone at Augusta National. Woods insisted he could…
Tiger Woods is on the prowl for a sixth green jacket after penning another glorious chapter in his storied career with a record-breaking 24th…
Bryson DeChambeau has laid some demons to rest with a stunning back-nine birdie barrage to seize the first-round lead at the weather-hit Masters. The…
A year after being persona non grata at Augusta National, Australian golf legend Greg Norman is back at the Masters, declaring "the boss is…
