Leading by three shots overnight, the 35-year-old Jones gave his pursuers every chance with a double and triple bogey on the front nine, but four birdies in a two-over-par 73 proved enough for victory at his home Australian Golf Club.
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Spieth set the previous mark of 63 during the final round past year while winning the Australian Open by six strokes, with Pampling finishing runner-up.
Sydneysider Matt Jones held off past and present world No.1s Adam Scott and Jordan Spieth to win the Australian Open.
He chose to take on the trees and lake ahead rather than take the more conservative option and when he found the water short and left of the green he had dropped back to 6 under par and was in a share of the lead with Rod Pampling who had finished his remarkable round of 61 almost three hours earlier.
“I’ll have to have them yell during Jordan’s backswing or something”, Jones said. 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.
“The support of State Governments is critical with golf tournaments these days and you have to judge the quality of courses, whether the players are happy, will it attract the best, will it suit sponsors and is there the space”.
As the TV announcers noted, his shot was on the flag the entire way, and you could tell from Spieth’s body language while the ball was in the air that he really liked it. That was the first time the course had played as a par-71.
If recent history is anything to go by, Matt Jones should have major expectations for next year after winning the Australian Open on his home course at the Australian Golf Club on Sunday.
“I battled away today, which is fantastic the way I did, I could have let it slip and let it get away”. “[It’s] a dream come true”. “There’s a lot to go through”, Pitt said.
Pampling, who ended in fourth place, was rewarded for the round of his life with qualification for next year’s British Open as one of the top three finishers not already exempt.
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Defending champion Spieth holed out with his shot from the fairway on the par-4 17th for an eagle, then the American had a tap-in birdie on 18 for a 67.
