Jones’ three-under-par 68 on his home course at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney earned the US PGA star a one-stroke advantage over surprise first-round leader Lincoln Tighe.
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Jones briefly extended his lead to four strokes with a birdie on the second before dropping a shot at the par-4 third.
“But you’ve still got to get it in the hole”, he said.
“I feel like I’ve still got the best golf yet, to be played”, added the 22-year-old.
“It was one of the best fought rounds I’ve had and I can remember as 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”, Spieth said. “Conditions were tough but I still could have found the fairways”.
Gareth Paddison (two-over) and Mark Brown (three-over) were the only other Kiwis to make the cut, with five others failing to advance to the weekend. He was tied for second with Taiwan’s Yu Chun-an.
The tournament opens the European Tour’s 2015-16 season.
Scott will launch his first round alongside 2006 champion John Senden and Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts on Thursday afternoon in blistering conditions where the mercury is tipped to reach 38 degrees.
“I’m playing to a strategy I have”, he said. But for the fact that Jones has been a member of the prestigious Rosebery layout from the age of 15 could possibly encourage some friends in the gallery to carry out such antics, especially if there are beverages involved.
However, the two-time major victor will need to perform better from tee-to-green in the concluding round, having hit just 10 greens in regulation on day three – although he needed just 24 putts. “There’s no evidence that anyone else has walked on them”. On the closing half, the Sutherland shire product birdied the par-5 14th, before bagging birdies on the par-4 17th and par-5 closing hole.
“It’s always good to play with him and it’ll be good to see where he is and what he’s doing”, Jones said after his round. “A lot of people are going to spin back into the water there”. It’s very tough out there to get the wind right.
The story Online petition starts for Australian Masters runner-up Andrew Evans to be included in Australian Open field first appeared on The Sydney Morning Herald.
“There were not too many pars there – just seven”.
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Ogilvy almost holed out with his tee shot and made par, while Spieth hit his approach in the left bunker and made a three-foot par putt.
