Jason Day scrambled his way to an opening 67 to put himself on the leaderboard at the Bridgestone International at Firestone today, continuing his hot form.

Day, the world No. 1, had a below-average ball-striking day but utilised his brilliant short game to shoot the equal second-lowest round of the day and put himself in contention in the $ US9.5 million World Golf Championship event in Akron, Ohio. 

The Australian, who played alongside compatriot Adam Scott, completed his day’s work with a superb seven-iron close to the flag at the long par-three 15th hole, made a difficult two-metre par-saver at the 16th and then parred his way in for a 67. He finished with three birdies and a bogey at the par-four fourth.

American William McGirt (64) was the only player to take full advantage of the course, and he leads by three shots from Day, Emiliano Grillo and Jimmy Walker on three-under. World No. 2 Jordan Spieth is a shot back at two-under, while US Open winner Dustin Johnson began with a one-under 69.

“I felt like I did all right,” he told Golf Channel. “There were a couple of shots there where they were a little loose, but for the most part (I) hit a lot of good quality shots, iron shots into the greens. I gave myself some opportunities out there. But just, I saved myself. When I was kind of out of position my short game saved me. I had some pretty nice up-and-downs too, to really keep the momentum going.” 

Of the other Australians, Scott had a disappointing day carding a 71 to be tied-26th after he chipped in for birdie on the first hole but made nothing on the greens for the rest of the day, Marcus Fraser had 73 and Matt Jones 74. Marc Leishman (76), Nathan Holman (77) and Steven Bowditch (82) all struggled.

 Meanwhile in the Barracuda Championship, Greg Chalmers is close to the lead after a nice opening round in the modified stableford US PGA Tour event.

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In my three years working in the golf industry, a clear highlight has to be a Wednesday afternoon at Lake Karrinyup Country Club covering the final round of the 2014 Bowra & O’Dea Championship.

Every member of the gallery was aware they were witnessing something special. Current WA Open champion Curtis Luck was one of those present, commenting “this is ridiculous” while stating that he could only hope to have the game to match what was on display.

The eventual top 3 on the 72 hole leaderboard read;

-22 Su Oh
-21 Minjee Lee
-15 Hannah Green

It’s with that in mind that I bring up a recent radio interview on Perth’s SportFM, where I was asked to provide a simple yes or no answer to my opinion on golf’s place in the Olympics in the wake of Rory McIlroy’s withdrawal.

I answered with an emphatic yes in favour of golf at Rio 2016 — to which the radio presenter suggested that my response was just a case of me toeing the company line.

It was frustrating not being able to back up my personal opinion due to time constraints, and these pent up frustrations have bubbled over in the wake of Jason Day’s recent withdrawal from Rio 2016.

Before I continue I will add a caveat in bright flashing lights — I totally respect and understand the decisions of the likes of Day, Scott and Leishman to remove their hat from the ring — especially considering the health concerns surrounding the Zika virus. If I was offered a free trip as a spectator, I’d think twice before taking it too.

But whether it’s directly stated or implied, many in the golfing circles, and by extension the media, are linking these withdrawals to a perceived lack of importance of the gold medal to golf’s existing suite of majors. Is golf really too good for the Olympics? Is Zika maybe just a scapegoat for those wanting to withdraw without seeming disrespectful?

Whether there’s an element of truth to this or not, it leads to the most frustrating part of this debate. People who say that golf shouldn’t be in the Olympics because it doesn’t represent the pinnacle of the sport completely gloss over the fact that they’re really only talking on behalf of men’s golf.

Do you know how many women have ruled themselves out for the Olympics?

0.

Some may view this as further proof that the Zika concerns are overstated, but I say it’s more proof of the women’s determination to play this event in spite of the risks.

The greatest thing about the Olympics is that all gold medals are equal in the final tally and in the eyes of the public. While our Australian and Victorian Opens fight the good fight with equal prize money, when it comes to golf’s majors it’s patently obvious that the women’s US Open, British Open and US PGA titles pale in significance when comparing the prize money and promotion of their male equivalents.

And I shouldn’t even bother wasting pixels highlighting the cavernous gap between golf’s obsession with the US Masters and indifference to the Evian and ANA Inspiration.

But at the Olympics a gold is a gold. It’s a much needed step towards bridging the gap between the women’s and men’s game, and it’s sad that we’re wasting our energy discussing which male golfers won’t be playing instead of focusing on who from the women’s field could prevail as they battle for their equivalent of a Green Jacket.

It’s fitting that within hours of each other, both of golf’s world number ones made statements on their stance on the Olympics. While Jason Day’s understandable withdrawal has 606 retweets at the time of writing, Lydia Ko’s gushing excitement for Rio 2016 has just 10.

Lydia says;

“I think [the Olympics] is how people outside of the golfing industry will learn more about us…It’s not every week, not every year you get to do this, to represent your country, amongst the world’s best athletes in other sports, so I’m super excited about it, and there are just so many positives from Rio that golf can take.”

Where’s the love for Lydia?

Golf has shown it’s willing to fight for equality, such as when we collectively lampooned Muirfield’s decision to vote against allowing women’s membership. If we were so quick to decry a stance that is viewed as bad for the game, why don’t we put as much effort into celebrating this brief moment of equalisation – and on a stage so big it eclipses the US Masters many times over!

Finding someone in the golf industry who feels that growing the women’s game is crucial to the strength of golf is easier than shooting fish in a barrel, yet as a collective we’re making very little noise about the importance of this amazing opportunity to promote the best women in golf, while capturing the imagination of girls (and boys for that matter) around the globe.

Australian male golfers get up to four chances a year to make themselves a household name.

But what will it take for the likes Minjee Lee and Su Oh (currently holding the Olympic selection position) to become a household name? I don’t doubt they’re both aiming to become next “greatest of all time” like Karrie Webb — or they could simply win an Olympic gold and instantly get their face on a stamp.

If the withdrawals continue, we might even get to the point where Lydia Ko is genuinely the biggest name in golf to front up at Rio – and to me that wouldn’t be such a bad thing!

Just this once let’s embrace the women taking a well-deserved place on centre stage and use that as a reason to celebrate, not criticise, golf’s inclusion in the Olympics. It’s what the women want and deserve, and if you’ve ever wished for golf to strengthen itself outside of the usual demographics, it’s what you’d want too.

Tom Fee is the Marketing & Communications Officer of Golf Western Australia and a regular contributor to the Golf Australia website.

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Mount Lawley Golf Club have broken a drought that has spanned over half a century, winning WA’s Division 1 Women’s Pennant title with a 4-3 victory over Lake Karrinyup today at Cottesloe Golf Club.

It was fitting that their triumph came against a side that is undoubtedly one of the greatest in WA pennant history, with Lake Karrinyup surrendering a title they have won seven times in the past ten years.

Much like the regular season, Mount Lawley and Lake Karrinyup could only be separated by the narrowest of margins as Lake Karrinyup fought valiantly despite being on the back foot for the majority of the day’s play.

The tone of the match was established early with Mount Lawley and Lake Karrinyup taking imposing leads in three matches a piece. The only match that appeared in the balance was between two members of WA’s travelling girls side in Alysha Ahnantakrishnan and Lake Karrinyup’s Jennifer Herbst.

Ahnantakrishnan held a narrow lead over Herbst throughout, but Herbst often was able to close within one hole of Ahnantakrishnan until late.

Mount Lawley’s pennant was secured on the 17th hole of this match, as Ahnantakrishnan rolled in a 20 foot birdie putt to secure her match 3&1.

Mount Lawley’s remaining wins came through their top two ranked players in Hannah Green (5&4) and Kirsten Rudgeley (7&6), as well as Eve Cohen (5&4) in the number 5 position.

Carmen Palframan (2&1), Ronnie Ntoumenopoulos (4&3) and Robyn Lamb’s (5&4) wins ensured Lake Karrinyup remained well in the hunt to snatch a comeback victory.

Speaking after the presentations, Ahnantakrishnan said her plan for the day was to just focus on her match and trust in her teammates.

“I just really wanted to win for the team and get my match in,” said Ahnantakrishnan.

“I didn’t know much about what was going on elsewhere, I was just trying to focus on my game as I didn’t want to get influenced by how the team was going and get too excited or down early on.”

As a fellow upcoming prospect in WA’s ranks, Ahnantakrishnan paid tribute to her opponent play.

“[Jennifer] played really well and stuck the ball amazingly. She was out driving me by a good 30 or 40 meters so it was always going to be a tough match.”

Coming down the 17th with the tie in the balance, the weight of the moment wasn’t lost on Ahnantakrishnan who approached her putt conservatively.

“The aim was to just two putt the hole, but it fell in,” said Ahnantakrishnan.

“It was pretty exciting when it went in. It was amazing that after 55 years we’ve been able to do it and be able to take on a side as good as Lake Karrinyup on play our best and win for Mount Lawley.”

The final featured three players that went undefeated in the 2016 season, and fittingly Lake Karrinyup’s Carmen Palframan, and Mount Lawley’s Hannah Green and Kirsten Rudgeley continued that run in today’s final.

Both Palframan and Green have imposing records that span back multiple seasons with Green undefeated in three years, while Palframan has a 20-1 record in her last 4 seasons.

It’s just Mount Lawley’s second pennant since the competition began in 1925, while Lake Karrinyup remains tied with Cottesloe with 15 titles in the competition’s history.

Royal Perth will remain the competition’s most successful side for at least a few more decades with 40 tiles to their name, and the club will look to take a vital step towards adding to its imposing total when they face The Vines in tomorrow’s Division 2 pennant final at Nedlands — while Gosnells will face Royal Fremantle in Division 3.

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2016 Australian Senior Men’s Match Play Championship – Final: Gordon Claney (Vic) bt Michael Baltrop (NZL) 4&3.

The 2016 Australian Senior Men’s Match Play Championship Final began in drizzly conditions at Coolangatta & Tweed Heads Golf Club between Gordon Claney from Victoria and Michael Baltrop from New Zealand.

Claney took an early one hole lead with some steady golf on a damp course still recovering from the 150mm of rain 3 days ago, however Baltrop rallied to win consecutive holes at the 5^th and 6th to put his nose in front.

The foot was then firmly planted on the accelerator by Claney, playing exceptional golf with birdie putts on the 8^th and 9^th which put him back in front and on the offensive.

“Gordon played absolutely flawless golf from the middle holes” Baltrop said.

Claney went on the finish the match on the 15^th hole winning 4&3 in his maiden Match Play Championship victory.

It was the secend National Amateur Championship for Claney, adding to the Australian Men’s Senior Amateur title he won in 2014.

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American golf sensation Jordan Spieth is returning to seek a second Emirates Australian Open title to add to his bulging list of achievements.

Spieth, the world’s No. 2 player, has committed to joining what promises to be an impressive field for Australia’s national championship at Royal Sydney Golf Club from November 17.

The 22-year-old from Texas won the Emirates Australian Open at The Australian in 2014 with a stellar 63 on the final day, and narrowly missed a playoff at the same venue in 2015 when he finished tied-second with Adam Scott, a single shot behind Matt Jones.

The 2014 triumph launched Spieth on an amazing run of success in which he climbed to No. 1 in the world and won consecutive major championships, the Masters tournament at Augusta National and the US Open at Chambers Bay in Washington in 2015.

Jordan has acknowledged that the win at The Australian was a huge turning point in his career.

“I have really enjoyed my previous visits to Australia and I can’t wait to get back in November,” said Spieth.

“I look back at my win in the 2014 Emirates Australian Open with great memories as it helped me build momentum for 2015.

“The Emirates Australian Open seems to grow in stature among the world’s players every year. The field is always strong and Royal Sydney should be a great test.”

Golf Australia chief executive Stephen Pitt welcomed the news. “Jordan is one of the greatest players in today’s game and has proven to be exceptionally popular with audiences in Australia and around the globe,” said Pitt.

“He has been a great champion of the Emirates Australian Open and came within an inch of defending his title in our thrilling finish last year.

“We are really delighted that he is coming back again and think that he will form part of a very formidable line-up for fans at Royal Sydney.”

Pitt also confirmed that The Australian Golf Club would host the championship in 2017, 2019 and 2021. Venues for other years are yet to be finalised. The 2017 event will be played from November 23-26 and in 2018 from November 22-25.

NSW Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events and Minister for Sport Stuart Ayres was also delighted with the news.  “Jordan Spieth is one of the best golfers on the planet, and it’s great to see him coming back to Sydney to play in the Australian Open for the third straight year.” said Mr Ayres.

“The Australian Open has been secured for Sydney by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. Tickets are now on sale and I suggest moving fast and booking today!”

The Emirates Australian Open is a flagship tournament on the PGA Tour of Australasia. The winner will receive a minimum of 32 Official World Golf Ranking points.

The event will be telecast all four days on Channel 7.

Tickets are on sale now from Ticketek at www.ticketek.com or by calling 132 849.

Website: http://www.ausopengolf.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AusOpenGolf and #AusOpenGolf
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AusOpenGolf 

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It wouldn’t quite rival Lazarus, but Jason Day is plotting something that’s right in that famous neighbourhood.

The world No.1 admitted today that he thought his first-round 76 had “killed” him.

But his stellar third-round 66 not only provided the kiss of life to his own chances, it undoubtedly sent a shiver up the collective spine of the seven people left above him on the leaderboard.

And, in an added bonus for the Queenslander who sits at one over par, all of those bar Branden Grace (one under) are yet to complete their third rounds of this storm-plagued US Open at Oakmont, near Pittsburgh.

That means they all, including leader Shane Lowry at five under, will be back early on Sunday (Pennsylvania time) to finish up while Day punches out the “Zs” in his nearby motorhome.

“That really does help a lot, especially in the temperature that we’re playing in. Today I had to wake up at 4:45am, whereas (most of) those guys didn’t,” Day said.

“Tomorrow, I’m not sure what time the restart is for these guys, but … they’re going to be waking up around 5am as well (to) play the rest of their holes.

“It’s going to be warm tomorrow and then have to come back and play 18 holes in the afternoon.

“So that may … physically and mentally be a little bit tougher on those guys that have to come back and finish in the (morning).”

That was as close mind games as Day would get after his round.

He pretty much passed on questions that could have led towards whether his rivals would be nervy with his name finally on the leaderboard after his earlier woes.

And he didn’t really hammer home what, from the outside, appears to be a big mental edge: that none of those left above him have won a major championship.

“Depends how they look at it. If they want to go out there and they think they’re ready to win a major, then it’s obviously going to be tougher because they’re going to be focused and ready,” he said, somewhat cryptically.

“But I don’t think it matters in times like this when it’s just mentally and physically gruelling. Not only when you’re out there, but when you get back, you’re always thinking about it, (even) at night time.

“It’s good to have a major under my belt, but I’m just trying to win the tournament.

“I think I’ve given myself an opportunity at getting there. We’ll see how those guys go in the morning and hopefully, I’ll be there.”

Day was clearly happy at reviving his chances after his equal worst score in a US Open, his opening 76.

“Shooting 69 in the second round and then 66 today – (if you) shoot anything under par here, you’re definitely moving up a lot,” he said.

“The first round kind of killed me here. But hopefully I give myself an opportunity tomorrow.

“I just wanted to play hard and fast for it and I think the harder the better, like a normal US Open Sunday should be.

“I think it would be fun for everyone. Even though it is hard and stressful, I just enjoy those times.”

Day said he didn’t have a number in mind tomorrow, but that his halfway target of even par – which he briefly reached for the first time since the event’s first hole when he eagle the fourth late in his round – would require readjustment.

But not too much on what are expected to be lightning fast greens tomorrow.

“I think Shane’s playing some pretty good golf now. But I can’t be aggressive out there and start firing at pins and making silly mental errors.

“If I can get to even par, great. If I can get to one under, great.

“I’ve got to just kind of check the boxes and try and take them as they come.

“Hopefully, at the end of the day, I’m under par somewhere and that definitely gives me a shot.”

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Little-known American Andrew Landry has extended his early lead after play resumed on a storm-affected first morning of the US Open.

The world No.624 from Texas, playing in his first major championship, has five blemish-free birdies in 13 holes to be three shots clear after players were forced from the course by heavy rain and nearby thunderstorms at 10.04am local time.

Overnight rains softened the brutal Oakmont Country Club course, allowing early players to take advantage on either side of the one hour and 19 minute delay.

New Zealand’s Danny Lee, England’s Lee Westwood and boom rookie Bryson DeChambeau share second at two under.

Defending champion and world No.2 Jordan Spieth is square through six holes, while world No.3 Rory McIlroy is two over par through seven.

Only two of the seven Australians in the field are on-course early with Aron Price, who birdied the first to briefly lead the tournament, now four over playing the 13th.

Compatriot Marc Leishman has played solidly barring a mishap on the par-three 13th which he corrected after the resumption with a birdie on the 17th to be square through nine holes.

World No.1 Jason Day plus Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy, Steven Bowditch and Cameron Smith are due out in the afternoon wave, however their tee times will now be delayed.

Further storms are also forecast late. 

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Rules query: Ball accidentally dropped in nearby water hazard after being retrieved from casual water.

A player found her ball in casual water adjacent to a water hazard. After retrieving her ball out of the casual water she accidentally dropped it into the water hazard and was then unable to retrieve it so had to substitute another ball.

Note 2 to Rule 25-1b states that if a ball ‘is not immediately recoverable, another ball may be substituted.’ But two decisions appear to relate to this situation:

Decision 15-2/1

Q. A player, whose ball was on the putting green, marked the ball’s position, lifted it and threw it to his caddie for cleaning. The caddie failed to catch the ball and it went into a lake and could not be retrieved. The player holed out with another ball. Should he be penalised under Rule 15-2?

A. Yes. Rule 16-1b, under which the ball was lifted, does not permit substitution of another ball. Accordingly, the player incurred a penalty of loss of hole in match play or two strokes in stroke play.

Decision 25-1b/13

Q. A player whose ball is in casual water mistakes the casual water for a water hazard. The player does not retrieve his original ball, although he could have done so without unreasonable effort – see Decision 25-1/1. Rather, he drops another ball ten yards behind the casual water in accordance with the water hazard Rule and plays it. His error is then discovered. What is the ruling?

A. Since the player could retrieve the ball without unreasonable effort, he was not permitted to substitute a ball in taking relief from the casual water. Additionally, as a result of proceeding under the water hazard Rule (Rule 26-1), he dropped the ball in a wrong place. In match play, the player loses the hole (Rules 15-2, 25-1b(i) and 20-7b).

In stroke play, the player incurs a penalty of two strokes. Although the player substituted a ball when not permitted (Rule 15-2 and Rule 25-1) and played from a wrong place (Rules 25-1b(i) and 20-7c), the Exception to Rule 15-2 and Note 3 to Rule 20-7 explain that a player who substitutes a ball and plays from a wrong place incurs a total penalty of two strokes.

In both cases, the player is deemed to have incorrectly substituted a ball when not permitted. Because of the possible conflict between the Note and the decisions, Golf Australia sought advice from The R&A. The following ruling was provided.

“The R&A advice on this is that there is no authority in the Rules for basing the answer on how careless or not the player was. Whether the ball was thrown, dropped, slipped, etc, the player had the ball originally, so it was recoverable, and she has subsequently created a situation where she is forced to substitute a ball in breach of the Rule.

Only the involvement of an outside agency (i.e. the outside agency being the cause more so than the player) would lead to providing an answer of no penalty, in equity, for the substitution.”

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Su Oh is within sight of the lead at Sahalee. Image: Getty

Australia’s two young superstars of women’s golf are in contention at the season’s second LPGA major, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club near Seattle.

Melburnian Su Oh is on the leaderboard, tied-sixth after a second-round 69, while her former amateur teammate Minjee Lee of Perth is just outside the top 10.

Oh’s two-under round at the tough Sahalee layout could have been better; she lipped out with a shortish birdie putt at the ninth hole, her last for the day. But it was one of the rounds of the day and at even par, she will be in the final groups tomorrow. 

The 20-year-old Metropolitan Golf Club member is only two shots from the lead held by Mirim Lee of South Korea and Canada’s Brooke Henderson at two-under overall through two rounds.

She is in position to overtake veteran Karrie Webb in the world rankings and replace her in the Australian Olympic team for Rio de Janeiro with a strong finish this week, currently ranked No. 62 after a breakout season. She needs to pick up 11 spots to overtake Webb, who is ranked 51st. 

Ironically Webb has mentored both Oh and Lee, who were part of Golf Australia’s Karrie Webb scholarship squad for young amateurs at the time they were members of the national team that won the world amateur teams event in 2014. Lee, at world No. 13, is comfortably in the team for Rio.

Webb is tied-46th at Sahalee at six-over par.

World No. 1 Lydia Ko of New Zealand is also in the running at one-under in grinding conditions and heavy rain today, with just five players under par through 36 holes.

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Jason Day is Australia’s top-paid athlete – but he’s not even close to the world’s top-paid golfer.

The Forbes 100 list today claimed Day earnt $ US23.6 million, ranking him at equal 69^th on the list alongside NBA superstar and MVP Steph Curry.

Day, 28, replaces another basketballer, Curry’s Golden State teammate Andrew Bogut, as Australia’s highest-paid athlete. The Queenslander is the only Aussie in the top 100.

But not even the world No.1 ranking could get him higher up the golf rankings.

Remarkably, Phil Mickelson holds top spot among golfers, raking in an estimated $ US52.9 million in the past year to have him the eighth highest among all athletes.

But the biggest mover in the list is fellow American Jordan Spieth, who’s now ninth at $ US52.8 million after his epic 2015 season vaulted him all the way from 85th.

Spieth, 22, also holds the distinction of being the youngest athlete in the top 100.

And while Tiger Woods might be still struggling physically, he’s not faring too badly in the financial stakes. Woods fell out of the top 10 for the first time in 20 years, but only as far as No.12 with $ US45.3 million.

Rory McIlroy is the other of five golfers to make the list, the Northern Irishman at No. 17 with $ US42.6 million.

Portuguese champion Ronaldo’s $ US88 million puts him in top spot ahead of fellow soccer superstar Lionel Messi, of Argentina, at $ US81.4 million.

Lebron James (third), Kevin Durant (fifth) and Kobe Bryant (10th) make basketball the most prominent sport in the top 10.

Tennis stars Roger Federer (fourth) and Novak Djokovic (sixth) also figure, as does Carolina Panthers NFL quarterback Cam Newton in seventh.

The 2016 list marks the first time in 13 years that either Woods or retired boxer Floyd Mayweather has not been No.1.

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