Australian Open 2023 LIVE updates: Scott out to make charge at ...

30 Nov 2023

The Sydney Morning Herald

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Leaderboard as it stands

So, here’s how the leaderboard looks at the start of play for the second round.

Australian Open - Figure 1 — Photo The Sydney Morning Herald

Men’s:-9: Cameron Davis.-8: Patrick Rodgers (USA), Connor Syme (SCO).-7: Hayden Hopewell.-6: Joaquin Niemann (CHI), Grant Forrest (SCO), Alexander Levy (FRA), Nicolo Galletti (USA), Sean Crocker (USA).-5: Aaron Baddeley, Lucas Herbert, John Catlin (USA), Johnattan Vegas (VEN), Min Woo Lee, Zack Swanwick (a, NZL), Yuto Katsuragawa (JPN), David Horsey (ENG), Mark Power (IRE).

Women’s:-7: Jenny Shin (KOR).-6: Rachel Lee (a).-5: Jiyai Shin (KOR).-4: Steph Kyriacou, Ashleigh Buhai (RSA).-3: Minjee Lee, Sukapan Budsabakorn (THA), Ella Scaysbrook (a), Sarah Hammett (a).-2: Grace Kim, Cassie Porter, Justice Bosio (a).

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9.06am

Smyth on the move

News out of The Australian Golf Club this morning, Travis Smyth has been the big mover, picking up four shots in his first seven holes to be five-under for the tournament.

He’s off to Abu Dhabi next week to try to earn a spot on the LIV Golf roster next year. It would cap some year in which he played his first major and had a hole-in-one to boot at The Open.

The wind is just starting to pick up a little bit here at The Lakes, where it’s perennially blowing you sideways.

8.53am

Great Scot, OK Scott

We have a new co-leader in the men’s event with Scotsman Connor Syme rushing to nine-under for the tournament after picking up a couple of shots on his first two holes today at The Lakes.

Connor Syme is surging.Credit: Getty

Australian Open - Figure 2 — Photo The Sydney Morning Herald

Someone’s tip this week (ahem) Joaquin Niemann is lurking at six-under for the tournament after a solid start today.

Pars all round for the feature group of Adam Scott, Matt Jones and Adrian Meronk on the par-3 15th. Scott and Meronk make nervy six-footers to hold firm.

8.39am

We’ve put the mock on JonesBy Adam Pengilly

Ever heard of the kiss of death? Yeah, I’ve just given Matt Jones one.

Taking on the water on the par-5 14th, Jones rifles one which is well short of reaching the green in two. But playing his next, he flies the water and then makes the 15-foot putt for par. That’s a huge save.

And what do we have here? Tempers are fraying. Defending champion Adrian Meronk, battling to make the cut, is clearly unhappy with his own second flying long into a green-side bunker. He’s got no green to work with given the pin placement, and despite his delicate touch, the ball trickles down the undulating green to a lower tier. He’s filthy, smashing his club into the sand in the bunker. That’s not a good look. And to cap it off, he three putts for bogey.

Adam Scott is utterly boring compared to the other two, a stress-free reach to the green in two, two-putt birdie. He’s back to one-under.

8.25am

Not easy being GreenBy Adam Pengilly

It’s not great news for Hannah Green in the opening hour at The Lakes.

The former major winner and one of the leading chances this week has already dropped two shots in her opening three holes after a disastrous double-bogey seven on the 11th, her second hole of the day. She’s back to two-over for the tournament and a long way from being in the mix.

Australian Open - Figure 3 — Photo The Sydney Morning Herald

Hannah Green on Thursday.Credit: Getty

Still trying to win her first Australian Open, she said there’s always extra pressure which comes with playing the national championship. But she gets to see her fiance Jarryd Felton, who is in the men’s field this week.

8.12am

What might have been for Jones

It’s hard not to feel like this tournament might be a case of ‘what if’ for Matt Jones. He’s striking the ball so well after an average year on LIV Golf, but that two-stroke penalty he incurred on the first hole yesterday might be a killer.

Matt Jones tees off on the 14th during his opening round on Thursday.Credit: Getty

He’s just rolled in a long birdie putt on the 13th, a real downhill slider. He’s at four-under for the tournament and on the charge, but it could still be so much more.

Adrian Meronk also makes birdie after trying for the green off the tee. Adam Scott cleans up for par after a close shave with his downhill birdie try.

7.41am

Scott up and down earlyBy Adam Pengilly

Adam Scott fans? It’s going to be one helluva wild ride today by the looks of it.

He’s made birdie on the first in benign conditions, just an outstanding morning for scoring at The Lakes, but has just dunked his ambitious second shot into the par-5 11th into the drink. It was well short of carrying the water to reach the green. The groans just reverberated through the gallery. He ends up making a pretty good two-putt from another postcode once on the green. But it’s a bogey and he’s back to even for the tournament.

Australian Open - Figure 4 — Photo The Sydney Morning Herald

Matt Jones has no worries though and signs for a birdie to go to three-under for the tournament. Adrian Meronk also finds water on the hole and is back to two-over. Cut, anyone?

7.20am

ICYMI: Meet our shock Open co-leader

Rachel Lee skipped classes to play in the Australian Open this week. And having started her journey in “golf daycare”, she finished the day as the talk of the town.

From the age of 10, she would head to her local club for a couple of hours after school and hit golf balls into a net. At first, she didn’t like it much. But for her parents, it certainly beat paying childcare fees.

Rachel Lee shot six-under in her opening round. On any other Thursday she’d have been in class.Credit: Getty

Six years later, the Year 10 Endeavour Sports High student – who had to send a note to her school to advise them she would be skipping class this week – is leading the Australian Open.

A few groups behind the Cameron Smith and Min Woo Lee travelling circus at The Lakes on Thursday, amateur Lee played in relative anonymity.

By the time she tapped in for birdie on her last hole, with the rain hosing down and forcing play to be temporarily suspended, she had the lead – and didn’t even know.

Catch up on the full story here.

6.59am

Leaderboard as it stands

So, here’s how the leaderboard looks at the start of play for the second round.

Australian Open - Figure 5 — Photo The Sydney Morning Herald

6.52am

Scott the star show at The Lakes

It wasn’t the most pleasant day for Scott in trying conditions at The Australian Golf Club yesterday afternoon. He carded an even par 72, and no doubt his mood wasn’t pleased with a bogey six on the par-5 closer.

Fun fact: his third shot into the green landed about two feet from me behind the putting surface. I lose it in flight and it almost got me. In typical Adam Scott fashion, he walked up to the ball, asked everyone in the gallery how they were going and just got on with his business. Didn’t help him finish the hole in style though.

His playing partner Matt Jones was much more content with his two-under 70, which included a two-shot penalty on the first hole for a rules infraction. I suppose it’s better to have it on the first hole rather than 72nd.

Funny game, golf.

6.49am

Welcome to the second round

Hello everyone and welcome to the second round coverage of the Australian Open from both The Australian and The Lakes.

Smell that? It’s the sweet aroma of freshly brewed coffee and perfectly manicured grass as we prepare to begin another day’s play in the national championship.

We’ll be following the feature groups including Adam Scott, Matt Jones, Hannah Green and Grace Kim at The Lakes this morning. You can’t find it on the telly or radio yet so it’s best to tune in here for all the updates.

How are my legs going to hold up?

Adam Scott will headline the second round at The Lakes.Credit: Getty

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