The Aussie spin legend swapped stories with Spieth when the pair played a pro-am warm-up event on the eve of the opening round but any lessons were on how to cope with life after retirement, rather than how to excel before it.
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Local club member Matt Jones holds the championship lead at seven under par at the Australian Golf Club after firing a 68 on Friday morning, but Spieth looms as his biggest threat.
Matt Jones kept up his impressive form to top the leaderboard after day two of the Australian Open, while world number one Jordan Spieth moved into contention in Sydney.
The U.S. Masters and U.S. Open champion was, however, reasonably happy with how he had managed to rescue a par round despite his errant driving. I played a lot better than 80.
They lodged a warning with his group of major victor Geoff Ogilvy and 1997 champion Lee Westwood for slow play during the back nine. “The golf course is just in immaculate shape and I love being in Sydney”, he said. We just had no idea on that fairway.
No need to worry – there was never any doubt he’d return Down Under, calling Australia “my favorite place I’ve ever traveled to to play golf”, and saying it was a “no-brainer coming back”.
A second bogey at the 16th dropped him deep into the pack again and although he finished with a birdie at the 18th, the 22-year-old was left on three-under feeling he had missed an opportunity.
It could have been worse for Scott – he chipped in from off the green on the ninth for his second double-bogey.
Scott, who started on the back nine Friday, three-putted from 15 feet on the par-3 11th, and did the same on the par-4 sixth.
But it will be a lost faster than that displayed on Friday afternoon by the leader himself, who said he would be in go-slow mode with his kids on a likely boat trip.
“If I keep putting like I did today, yeah, I think I’m going to be there but it’s a high quality field”.
Tighe, ranked 1,022nd in the world, made the most of his local knowledge to hit seven birdies for his one-stroke lead.
“I’m not surprised to be here”, Tighe said.
Although conditions were markedly calmer than on Thursday, when temperatures soared and gusts of wind swirled across the fairways at the Australian Golf Club, good scores were still at a premium.
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Tighe, who showed he was a player on the way up winning last year’s NSW PGA at Riverside Oaks with a barnstorming closing 64, made light of the conditions with six birdies in his round.
