OPEN WRAP: Jones’ childhood dream comes true

BY BRENDAN JAMES at THE AUSTRALIAN GOLF CLUB

AS a 15-year-old, Matt Jones was a regular fixture around The Australian Golf Club. You would either find him on the practice fairway with his coach, Gary Barter, or on the putting green, grooving his stroke.

At a place where so much of the history of the Australian Open has been written, the young Jones set the wheels in motion on a career that would take him to America, the PGA Tour and ultimately a place within the top-100 players in the world.

Matt Jones looks skyward after holing his final putt to win the Emirates Australian Open.
PHOTO: Matt King/Getty Images.

“Jones has this to win the Australian Open,” the aspiring pro would quietly commentate to himself as he stood over a practice putt in the shadows of the clubhouse. With the putt made, and his childhood hero Greg Norman beaten, Jones imagined holding the Stonehaven Cup aloft in triumph.

On a bright Sunday afternoon, some two decades on and just a pitch shot from where those schoolboy dreams played out, 35-year-old Jones stood over downhill four-foot putt to win the Emirates Australian Open.

Standing somewhere in the wings were the world’s best golfer Jordan Spieth and former World No.1 Adam Scott, wondering if he would miss the makeable and send the trio into an Open sudden-death play-off. His heart pounded hard in his chest. The hole must have seemed smaller than it had all day. But, somehow, Jones found the nerve to put a decent stroke on the putt and his Titleist scrambled into the bottom of the cup.

Jones checks out the names on the Stonehaven Cup .
PHOTO: Matt King/Getty Images.

The sense of relief was immediately apparent as Jones leaned back and looked to the heavens. Obviously, no amount of practice for the moment can replace the actual stress of those final few seconds of a Championship when all those dreams of emulating your boyhood hero finally become reality.

“It’s amazing. Winning the Australian Open and getting my name on the same trophy as Greg Norman is something I would have thought about from when I was six when I first met him,” Jones said. “I tried not to think about it this week because I knew, as you saw today, anything can happen on a golf course. You can be one swing away from doing what I did and having no chance to win.

“To have my name on this trophy with the likes of [Jack] Nicklaus, [Jack] Newton, Norman, all those guys, it’s a dream come true for me and it’s something that I can’t have taken away from me.”

Jones’ only other victory in 14 years as a professional came at the PGA Tour’s Houston Open last year when he pitched in for birdie to claim the title in a sudden death play-off over Matt Kuchar. His second win was just as spectacular.

Turning point: Jones holes his bunker shot to save par on the 12th hole.
PHOTO: Matt King/Getty Images.

It will be remembered for the final round mis-hits, bad breaks, stumbles and ultimately a fightback that claimed the trophy with a shot to spare.

Starting the final day with a three-stroke lead, Jones opened his round with a hooked drive that lead to a bogey at the par-4 1^st hole. No damage done.

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But when his tee shot at the downhill par-3 2^nd hole plugged under lip of a bunker and resulted in a double-bogey five, there were as many as 10 players with serious claims on the trophy.

One of those hopefuls was Queensland veteran Rod Pampling, who was already in the clubhouse at six under after an incredible 10 under 61 that included an amazing nine birdies and an eagle, which stole Speith’s course record set in the final round of last year’s Championship. When Pampling’s perfect 65-foot eagle putt dropped on the 18^th green, Jones’ leaderboard free fall was gaining momentum.

Scott, playing three groups ahead of Jones and Spieth, was making his presence felt too as he zeroed in on one flag after another and got the putter warming up.

Jones appeared to get back on track with birdies at the 4^th and 6^th holes but then he opened the door for his opponents one more time with a triple bogey seven at the 9^th hole.

Adam Scott pumps his fist after making a putt on the 17th hole.
PHOTO: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images.

“Playing this golf course, the front nine is the tough nine for me,” he said. “I knew, getting to the back nine with a chance … that’s all I wanted to do was get to the back nine with a chance because I know I can birdie some holes out there. So I was lucky enough to do that.

“Getting up and down on 10 for par was very important, not to let it slip because I could have let it go from that point on, 11 where that pin was, I could have gone bogey, bogey there and really been in trouble but getting up and down there was huge.”

When Spieth birdied the 11th there was a four-way tie at the top of the leaderboard with the American, Pampling, Scott and Jones all at six under.

When Jones’ third shot found a greenside bunker on the par-4 12^th he looked the least likely to go on and win the Stonehaven. He had battled hard but it was, seemingly, not his afternoon. But the golfing Gods were indeed looking down favourably on the local hero, who holed his bunker shot to save par. It would prove to be a crucial turning point in the Championship.

“That bunker shot on 12 was very important,” Jones said. “Normally I’m a very comfortable, very confident bunker player. My bunker play is normally very good, so I knew off a little up slope I knew I was a chance to hole it, worst case I was going to get an up and down, so I was only going to drop a shot.”

After finding the trees left of the 14^th fairway, Jones crafted a wonderful escape on the par-5 that was giving up birdies to anyone who kept their ball in play. Jones’ approach ran through the green and he was able to get up and down for his birdie and he had the lead by himself again. Another birdie followed at the tough par-4 16^th and his lead was two, but only momentarily as Scott two-putted for a birdie on 18 to set a new clubhouse mark at seven under.

Jones needed to par his final two holes to win. Another hooked drive into the wood chips bordering the left of the 17^th fairway raised the stress levels for Jones’ large legion of family and friends following him in the gallery. But his escape from a wicked sandy lie ran through the back of the green and he chipped and putted for par.

There was more tension to follow, though, as Spieth threw everything at a successful Open defense. A terrific drive put him in range of the green and he hit a crack second shot into 15-feet from the hole giving him an eagle opportunity and a chance to send the Championship into a play-off. Jones took a more scenic route home via a fairway bunker and ultimately onto the green for three shots.

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Jones’ birdie attempt steamed four feet passed the hole and, when Spieth’s eagle putt rolled by the left edge leaving a tap-in birdie, the tournament outcome was all in Jones’ hands. It must have felt like everything was happening in slow motion as his putt bobbled slightly left and, for a split second, looked like it might catch the lip and stay out. But it was Jones’ time.

Jordan Spieth was pretty happy after finding the 18th green in two shots to have a crack at an eagle putt and possibly tie for the lead.
PHOTO: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images.

“It’s not the most comfortable putt, I would have much preferred to leave it to a tap in or give distance, but I was expecting Jordan to make his,” Jones said. “I’ve played enough rounds of golf with him where he makes those putts. He didn’t putt well today. I thought he was due to make one and he didn’t.

“I was just lucky it caught the left lip and went in. I thought I’d missed it left but one of those things, it just went in and I was very, very happy.”

His victory not only secured the Stonehaven Cup but it has also booked him a place in The Open Championship at Royal Troon in July, where he will be joined by equal second placed Pampling and tied sixth-placed Nick Cullen, who closed his week at The Australian with a three-under-par 68.

“The British Open is one major I would love to win,” Jones said. “It’s one major that I think suits my game the best.

“I’m absolutely ecstatic to get back to the The Open. I have played it the last two years and to be able to qualify this early on means I can schedule around it and get ready for it.

“Apart from winning this golf tournament, that was my next goal – to qualify for The Open.”

And if winning the Australian Open has proven anything in recent years – with the likes of Rory McIlroy and Spieth – it is that the holder of the Stonehaven Cup can be a force in the following year’s majors.

It might just be time for Jones to step out of the shadow of Scott and Jason Day to realise another long-held childhood dream.