The 22-year-old now sits just three shots adrift of home favourite and leader Matt Jones, despite dropping three strokes over the opening four holes.
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Rod Pampling shot a course record 61 after he nailed a monster eagle putt on the last.
The Sydney-born player regrouped to post a final round two-over-par 73 and claim the honours with an eight-under-par 276 total.
Jones steadied with birdies on the fourth and sixth holes to restore his three-stroke overnight lead at nine under, but it was Pampling – not Spieth – holding down second.
Spieth looked down and out after three bogeys in his first four holes of the third round, but clawed his way back with birdies at the fifth, six and ninth holes — dampened by a bogey at the eighth. The world’s top-ranked golfer set up a decent try at eagle at the par-5 18th, but it never threatened, rolling left of the target. He got the momentum going again by picking up two more shots at the 12th and 14th but said that saves for par at the 15th and 16th had been just as important in setting up his brilliant finish.
Another former major victor in the field, Geoff Ogilvy, might have hoped the winds would rattle Scott more than they did, but the 38-year-old South Australian showed enough on Thursday to suggest he would be up for the fight, even with Scott at his best.
Scott began the final round nine shots adrift of Jones but briefly held the clubhouse lead after shooting a sizzling six-under 65.
The victor of at least one tournament every year since 2001, Scott said he failed to take advantage of better scoring conditions and softer greens on The Australian Golf Club course.
The triumphant Jones and Cullen, being higher-ranked than Tighe, nabbed the other two coveted spots into The Open at Royal Troon.
“[But] I battled away today, which was fantastic”.
After starting the final day three ahead of playing partner Jordan Spieth, Jones bogeyed the first and then plugged his tee shot in the bunker at the second and at that point was just one ahead of Spieth who had also bogeyed the first.
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“I was in position at the start of the day to make a bit of a move but then I became lazy in my decision-making as you saw with those early bogeys”.
