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November 24, 2017

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Spieth falters in Australian wind

Young local Cameron Davis upstaged Jordan Spieth and Jason Day by shooting an 8-under-par 63 in benign morning conditions for a two-shot lead after the first round of the Australian Open yesterday.

Day, playing his home Open for the first time since 2013, also had an early start and carded a 5-under 66 for a share of third, but defending champion Spieth struggled to a 1-under 70 in the afternoon wind.

Davis, 22, could hardly have made a better start to the day under bright blue skies at The Australian Golf Club with six birdies in his first seven holes, including a chip-in at the seventh.

Former world No. 1 Day appeared likely to follow suit when he hammered his tee shot to two feet at his second hole and sank a six-foot putt to pick up a second birdie at his third.

Two more birdies and a bogey had him at the top of the leaderboard at the turn and he picked up three more shots before, with the wind starting to pick up, finding the trees off the tee and double-bogeying his penultimate hole.

The 30-year-old, ranked 12th in the world and still seeking his first win of the year, rebounded by steering home a six-foot putt at the last.

“I think it would have been a little bit disappointing if I came out this morning and shot an even-par round,” he told reporters. “I think it’s definitely out there to shoot a deep one, but you need to come out and capitalize when there’s no wind.”

Spieth, coming off a seven week layoff since the President’s Cup, discovered exactly what Day was talking about as he wrestled with the wind throughout his round, every birdie step forward countered by a bogey step back.

The world No. 2, who also won the Stonehaven Cup in 2014, gave a reminder of his class at the last by curling a putt 20 feet across the 18th green for his sixth birdie and walked off reasonably happy with his round.

“I made five bogeys so to come off under par that’s really good. There was quite a bit of good after a rough start,” he said. “There were tremendous scoring conditions this morning which we’re hoping to see tomorrow, so I’ve got to go out and take advantage.”

Australian Taylor MacDonald also made hay in the morning sunshine with a seven-birdie 65 for second place, while Nick Cullen and Alex Edge shared third with Day on 66.

In China’s Hong Kong, India’s SSP Chawrasia mastered windy conditions to grab the first-round lead at the Hong Kong Open with a superb 5-under 65 in the co-sanctioned event yesterday.

Starting on the 11th hole, the six-time Asian Tour winner dropped a lone shot on the fifth but sank his sixth birdie on the ninth to finish one shot ahead of compatriot Shubhankar Sharma and Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick.

Belgian Thomas Detry, Wales’ Jamie Donaldson, Swede Marcus Kinhult, South African Keith Horne, Filipino Angelo Que, Thai Poom Saksansin and American Micah Lauren Shin returned 3-under.

Playing alongside Fitzpatrick, European No. 1 Tommy Fleetwood, fellow Englishman Justin Rose and seven others were a further shot behind.




 

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