OPEN WRAP: ‘I haven’t peaked yet,’ Spieth warns

BY BRENDAN JAMES at THE AUSTRALIAN GC

JORDAN Spieth looked cooked four holes into the third round of his Emirates Australian Open defense.

The golfing world has become accustomed to watching the young World No.1 coolly dismantle golf courses and ultimately win tournaments on the back of wise strategy and wonderful shot execution.

Jordan Spieth takes a drop on the 3rd hole after hitting into the water. PHOTO: Matt King/Getty Images.

But three bogies in his first four holes of the third round at The Australian proved, at least for that hour or so on Saturday afternoon, that he is indeed fallible.

Spieth’s hora horibillis began from the middle of the 1st fairway, when he hooked his second shot approach left of the green on the par-4 and left an impossible pitch to get close to try and save his par. On the 3^rd, he misjudged the wind and watched as his short iron approach dived into the greenside lake and resulted in another bogey. At the next, he dumped his tee shot into the front bunker of the long par-3 and could not get up and down.

On an afternoon where most players were moving south on the leaderboard, Spieth was doing it quicker than most.

“To be in a position starting the day to make a bit of a move and then to just completely fall out of it in the first four, I was completely out of sync, disinterested – not disinterested but just lazy in my decision making and my swings,” Spieth confessed later.

Spieth is all smiles after holing his approach shot for an eagle on the 17th hole.
PHOTO: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images.

As extraordinary as his start was, even more remarkable was the way he turned his round 180 degrees to card a 67 – the best score for round three – and be just three shots behind leader Matt Jones heading into he final round. In the words of the reigning Masters and US Open Champion: “It was a great fight back … one of the best fought rounds I’ve had that I can remember.”

A pep talk from caddie Michael Greller followed the bogey on the 4th hole and Spieth clicked into gear.

“I was able to settle down through five holes because Michael did a great job in setting a goal for me there,” he said. “I hit my tee shot on five and when I got to the fairway he met me there and said, ‘All right, get yourself to even par by the time you step on eight, even par for the day by the time you step on 18 tee box. That way we can birdie that hole, shoot under par and move on.’

“He said ‘Enough with this crap. No bad talk, no bad self talk, believe in it, let’s hit some greens. You’ve got some easy holes coming up.’

“That’s all I needed to hear to really help turn it around. I was trying to turn it around in my head anyways and it was fantastic from there; just great golf.”

It started with a beautiful lob wedge to close range and birdie at 5^th, followed by another birdie at the 6th hole. There was a minor setback with a bogey at the 8^th but he offset that with a birdie at the par-4 9^th hole.

Spieth then lit up the back nine with birdies at the 12^th and 14^th holes before holing his second shot approach at the 17^th for eagle. A sixth birdie for the round followed at the final hole for a back nine of 31 and an astonishing 67.

If Spieth goes on to successfully claim back-to-back Australian Open titles he will look back on the 17^th hole eagle as a turning point in his victory.

Spieth celebrates with caddie Michael Greller.
PHOTO: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images.

“It’s two extra shots that you don’t expect,” Spieth said with a smile. “That pin’s such a tough pin right there on 17. I had an 8 iron in from about 180, 181 yards, 167 yards I think to the front of the green and my 8 iron is right at about that front number. Now I had some help wind to carry an extra four or five paces onto the green, but I flushed it and I looked up and it was right on line.

“I was just hoping; if that lands three yards further than it is, it takes a hop and it’s a good chance it’s off the back of the green there. It’s just such a tough pin to go at.

Matt Jones looks non-plussed with his approach into the 5th green.
PHOTO: Matt King/Getty Images.

“I was trying to go 10 feet left of it and obviously the wind took it 10 feet further right and fortunately so, but that’s a huge boost of momentum.”

The momentum change has Spieth growing in confidence that a second Stonehaven Cup is just 18 holes away. In an ominous sign for those trying to better him, Spieth says he is yet to peak this week.

“I felt ready to go day one,” he said. “We’ve been working on some things. They’ve just gotten a little bit easier day-to-day and my putting’s been just a slightly better day today, and so I do believe that I have yet to peak at this tournament.

“I don't know if it will be good enough but I think that I’ll peak tomorrow.”

Spieth’s playing partner in the final round is Matt Jones, who birdied the final two holes of his third round to card a 68 and reach 10 under, three shots clear of the field.

When Jones fronted the media after his round to learn Spieth said he had not peaked yet, he laughed.

“He hasn’t peaked this week or this year?” Jones smiled.

“It’s a tough one to say you haven’t peaked yet. I’m just playing to the strategy that I have on this golf course. It’s very difficult out there. To get the wind right is very tough out there.

“Hopefully I haven’t peaked. I know I can hit it better than I did today and make a few more putts than I did today, so if I do that we’ll have a good day tomorrow.”

Rhein Gibson sinks his putt to save par on the 15th hole.
PHOTO: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images.

Jones, whose only professional win came at the 2014 Houston Open, says he has learned more from being in contention and not winning than his sole victory.

“I don’t try and make birdie every hole, just give yourself chances. You don’t have to be aggressive, leave the ball on the smart side of the green or just don’t make silly mistakes, which I’m prone to do,” Jones said. “Every golfer’s definitely prone to do that and I’m going to have to manage that tomorrow.

“I know my golf game. I know I like to be aggressive. Golfers think they can hit every shot perfect and that can often bring them undone. But today I played smarter and I will need to do that again tomorrow.”

While the spotlight will certainly be on the shootout in the final pairing, one player capable of upsetting them both is Rhein Gibson, who made four birdies for his 68 to move to five under.

Gibson’s ball-striking has been superb during the last three days and he leads the field in greens hit in regulation and will be hoping his usually reliable putter gets warm on Sunday afternoon.

At the moment, Jones is the man to beat … as predicted by Spieth at the start of his Australian Open campaign.

“For me, Matt Jones has played the best golf for three rounds, he’s played better golf than I have and I have to somehow not only play better golf, but play better golf by multiple shots in order to win the tournament tomorrow,” Spieth said.

“No matter where you’re ranked in the world, he’s played this golf course better than I have up until now and I’ve got to somehow overcome that.”