OPEN WRAP: No missing Linc for shock leader

BY STEVE KEIPERT at THE AUSTRALIAN GC

THE Australian Golf Club is a big golf course and on a day when the winds were equally big, it stands to reason that a prodigious driver like Lincoln Tighe leads after the first round of the Emirates Australian Open.

The former junior star and now fifth-year pro carded a 5-under 66 to hold a one-stroke lead over fellow New South Welshman Matt Jones, with 2010 champion Geoff Ogilvy, Todd Sinnott and Chinese Taipei amateur Chun-An Yu a stroke further adrift with 68s.

Lincoln Tighe speaks to the media after finishing his round.
PHOTO: Matt King/Getty Images

Tighe plucked seven birdies from The Australian course against two bogeys in a powerhouse display. The 26-year-old from Wollongong rode the strong breezes on several par-4s to leave himself short approach shots from where he was able to take advantage. For example, on the 381-metre par-4 10^th, Tighe bludgeoned his drive downwind to within a few metres of the putting surface.

It's unfamiliar territory for the reigning New South Wales PGA champion, yet he feels right at home around the revamped layout at The Australian.

"I've always loved this place, probably because it suits me down to the ground," said Tighe, who has banked less than $9,000 in prizemoney on the PGA Tour of Australasia this year. "I know I can carry a lot of the bunkers off the tee. If I'm hitting it good it's rewarding.

"I'm not surprised [to be leading]. My game's always been good for so long and I'm just getting more and more comfortable playing in the bigger tournaments. My game's always been there."

While strategists like Craig Parry and Peter Lonard have fared well around the Kensington layout, The Australian has long been a playground for big hitters, a fact not lost on the leader.

"There's only probably two or three holes out here that you've got to respect, I guess, off the tee, but a lot of the other ones it opens up where I hit my driver," Tighe said. "So it just always suits me here, and I love it."

LEADERBOARD  |  ROUND 2 TEE TIMES

Jones, a member at The Australian, made several mid-length putts and just one bogey in the afternoon wave, while it's a welcome return to a lofty leaderboard position for Ogilvy. He was four under quickly in his round, starting from the 10th tee, before he bogeyed the 17th and double-bogeyed the 18th. The 2006 US Open champion recovered on the front nine to post a 68 that was as much about survival as progress.

"It was a good score. It was really tough out there," Ogilvy said. "It's a shame about the last hole. I didn't really think I hit a bad shot. A lot of people are going to spin back into the water there ... All in all, it was very good."

Jones, who has the benefit of both course knowledge and a morning tee-time on Friday, could be difficult to beat on a course he knows well, albeit a redesigned version of the layout he grew up playing.

Matt Jones plays his approach shot on the 13th hole.
PHOTO: Photo by Matt King/Getty Images.

"I've played here a lot, just being a member here, so maybe I've got a little more local knowledge of the wind," Jones said. "I enjoy playing in the wind most of the time. If I have good control of my ball, my trajectory [and] my ball flight, the wind doesn't affect it as much, so if you're striking it well, the wind's not going to affect it as much."

Nestled behind the leaders at two under are John Senden, Stephen Leaney, Alistair Presnell, Brett Rumford and Korean Joon-Woo Choi. Tournament drawcards Adam Scott and defending champion Jordan Spieth both shot even par 71s to be part of a tightly bunched chasing pack.

Adam Scott takes a drop on the 9th hole as his caddie Steve Williams looks on.
PHOTO: Matt King/Getty Images.

Spieth's round was uneventful as he blended three birdies with as many bogeys in the morning field. Scott, on the other hand, rebounded from ugly double-bogeys at the 7th and 9th holes, the latter secured via a chip-in, to remain in the frame with a morning start beckoning tomorrow.

Only 18 players in the 156-man field broke par in blustery winds and warm weather. A healthy nor'easter filtered across the course from the opening tee-times and made life tricky for the entire field. The scores continued to drift north as the winds shifted towards the west in the afternoon, but the early starters received little reprieve.

World No.1 Jordan Spieth says he was happy with his opening round considering the conditions.
PHOTO: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images.

"The toughest part is when you have the crosswinds and you're trying to decide if it's helping or hurting and you've got to pick what shot to play," said Spieth, who was in the third group off. "You can use the same club and it can go 30 yards different in the air based on if you hold it up or if you ride it ... When you bring hazards in, it just makes it challenging."

Early in the day, the presence of Spieth, Rumford and Rod Pampling (71) near the top of the leaderboard gave this Thursday a sense of déjà vu. That trio filled the top-three spots on the final leaderboard a year ago, when the American closed with a 63 to propel himself on a year-long tear that hasn't yet abated.

So far at the 100th Australian Open the scene appears only subtly different. The leaderboard is a mix of veteran experience and youthful exuberance. As to which mindset emerges triumphant is going to make for three days of thrilling play from here.