Righto, that’s us, folks. Been a tough day for these super-men of golf, but it’s good to see the super-men struggle, on occasion, because for all their power and skill and massive practice, the Forces of Nature can still overcome. It’s like Big Blue taking on the chess grandmasters. But not exactly. Sort of. But not exactly.
Regardless, we’re done here. And we’ll see you again tomorrow at 2pm AEDST (3am GMT, 4am in Sweden).
I’m Matt Cleary. Been a pleasure. Talk at you again tomorrow.
Okay, here’s Chalmers on 18. Our Leader. He chips up his fourth shot to tap-in. And that’s how it’s going to finish, folks. With these people in these positions on the leaderboard. (And we’ll go down to those 2-over and 7 shots off the pace because Rory McIlroy is one of em, and he’s capable of Amazing Things. This would be Very Amazing. But he can shoot 63. He can. But everyone else would need to shoot 73. Or thereabouts. But he’s battling. Anyway, the top-30 are:
-5 Brett Rumford, Jordan Spieth, Greg Chalmers
-4 Adam Scott, Rod Pampling
-2 Todd Sinnott (Am)
-1 Aron Price, Jake Higginbottom
Even Daniel Nisbet, Ryan Fox, Josh Younger, David Bransdon, Robert Allenby, Adam Crawford
+1 Alistair Presnell, James Nitties, Rohan Blizard, Aaron Townsend, Boo Weekley, Jason Norris, Matthew Griffin, Richard Green
+2 Ryan Ruffels (Am), Callan O’Reilly, Steven Bowditch, Sung-Hoon Kang, Oliver Goss, Rhein Gibson, Rory McIlroy.
Rory McIlroy? It’s been a car accident. Maybe not a car accident. But the famous Irish Wolfhound, the World No.1 with a bullet, the outstanding champion golfer of his generation and a few others ... he’s six-over today, with a hole to go. And his round has gone:
4 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 7 - 38.
6 2 4 5 5 3 5 4 ? -
Whatever. He’s out of this. He’s 2-over. Everyone else will have to sleep in for Rory to defend his title. Moving day has claimed a massive scalp.
Who’s winning? The Rummy, Brett Rumford. Shot 69 today and he’s a very, very solid man of golf.
Equal with him is Greg Chalmers, a former champion, a left-hander, he’s very, very solid, also.
T3 you’ve got Adam Scott, Rod Pampling and Jordan Spieth, and if you want a tip for tomorrow? The winner comes from those three, for mine.
Todd Sinnott, Aron Price, Jake Higginbottom and Daniel Nisbet make up the bottom half of the leaderboard.
Rory McIlory? In horse racing parlance? He’s still running.
Okay, Jake Higginbottom on 16 ... whack, my but this kid can wind up and whack, that’s gone 280 metres into the wind.
Just a couple more groups to come in, Australians, we’re at The Australian, the gorgeous green velvet tongue in Rosebery in Sydney’s eastern hinterland, for the Open golf championship of Australia. And there’s a dozen contenders, none of them the world number one from Northern Ireland, you would not have bet upon that if you had respect for money.
A winner? Hard to think Adam Zoolander Scott will be very far away at the very end, he’s World No.3, the third golden brick in a pyramid the size of those ones at Giza. Love to get there one day, it would be a Thing.
Brett Rumford ... from the hill on 18 ... wow, tough shot, it’s come up short. His next ... over a big swale he gets some bite on it ... close-ish.
Scotty, on 18 ... no. Close. And the big crowd say, Oh, in an elongated fashion. He’s -4 for the tourney, 2-under today, very well done Adam Scott, Man Well In Contention.
Chalmers from the sand on 16 ... great. Tap in for par.
Jake Higginbottom - he signs off for a 72 today and will head tomorrow about 4 shots off the leading score.
Jake Higginbottom, first mention in the blog today, he’s plus-two today. Lovely shot from the sand. Downhill lie and water on the other side, scary shot for the 8-marker from Long Reef.
Jordan Spieth ... Lovely shot on 17, he’s got about 20 feet for his birdie, under the hole.
And Rory, the car accident ... deep bunker ... he flops it out beautifully and has about 12 feet for his par.
Okay - here’s Our Adam, on 18 ... a lovely wedge over the flag and he’s got a 12 footer for bird and the lead or near it.
Chalmers ... on 16, he’s in the pot greenside.
McIlory. Same bunker. “He’s having a shocker,” says my mate Henry and you can’t argue.
Here’s the Amateur, Sinnott, on 17 ... he’s a tall man, 22 years old. And ... he’s in the middle of the green, long putt for the Bird.
Rory McIlroy. He’s one-over. Five-over for the day. He’s cactus.
Spieth - great putt. He’s 4-under, one to play for the day.
Here’s Rumford, Dear Co-Leader ... mighty mid-iron over the green. Tough up-and-down coming up.
Pampling on the par-5 18th. He’s in the bark and he’s chopped one out ... a low six-iron or something, a lay-up. Well done. He’s not leading anymore though. He’s one off.
Well, there’s a thousand contenders in this national open golf championship of Australia, maybe not a thousand. But well, pick a winner out of these people:
Rod Pampling -5
Brett Rumford -5
Greg Chalmers -5
Jordan Spieth -4
Adam Scott -3
Todd Sinnott (Am)-2
Aron Price -1
Adam Crawford -1
(My tip? J.Spieth).
Another Dear Co-Leader! Brett Rumford, long putt. He’s 5-under. And Rocket Rod Pamps has a long par putt comin up on 17.
Here’s Rory again, with a sandwedge, the same club as last time. He’s knocked it up thereabouts. But my, you’d suggest his defence of this title ... it’s not over. But it’s nearly over. It’s like the last bit in Star Wars when the X-wings are trying to blow up the Death Star and Darth Vader’s in his Tie-fighter, trying to kill them. Think he’d just have used the Force, the silly moo.
Adam Scott ... whacks a 7-iron to the right of the green on 17 ... long birdie. But he’s probably cool with it, doesn’t look like too much Ryan ruffles him.
Spieth misses a ten-footer ... and drops back to second.
Rory? He’s ... playing like shit, there’s no other way to put it, he’s hit a sand-wedge that’s come up 40 metres short of the green. What’s doing, Irish Wolfman?
Sinnott ... makes par, he’s 22, an amateur in the ways of golf, meaning other people pay for him to enter these tournaments, and put him up in their house, and stuff like that. If he were a Pro, he’s on his own.
Rod Pampling? From a fairway bunker he’s blocked one well right. This course is playing tougher than old biltong, a South African cured meat, sometimes made of ostrich.
Okay. Mid-afternoon here at The Australian, and the conditions aren’t getting easier. The nor-easterly breeze is all over the shop and getting all-over-the-shoppier, it’s a stiff one, and no argument.
But that’s good, you don’t want these super-men of golf feasting on the course like Vikings, you want them to bleed, at least a little.
Bleeder? Rod Pampling is a little Aussie bleeder, a blood-nut, he’s been playing golf since 1975, a long time, coming up on forty years, there are turtles don’t live that long, and he leads this tournament with Jordan Spieth who was in high school in 2011, not that long ago. It’s a rich tapestry.
Rory? He looks like he just wants to get this over with. He’s chipped up his fourth on the par-4 ... not really close.
Spieth? Eagle putt ... no good. Birdie putt is though, and he’s -5 and our Dear Co-Leader.
Chalmers ... long putt for bird. Not amazing. They’re struggling with these pins, these players.
Rod Pampling. Birdie putt, not long. This to be Outright Dear Leader. He ... misses, just.
Todd Sinnott, the amateur ... eagle putt ... misses. But a tap-in bird, you’ll take them every time.
Rory? Wow. World of hurt. He’s just chipped one and scuttled it across the green. And he’s in Big Trouble in Little China.
Okay, here’s Our Pamps, a man no-one has ever called Our Pamps, he doesn’t pump the nads of the Australian sporting public despite being one of the country’s best players in the last 20 years, thereabouts. Why is that? Few reasons. One: charisma. Rodney Pampling is extremely good at golf, and has a funny dry sense of humour. But on the television, talking to journos, all that ... less interesting than a chunk of hessian. Good fellah. Drier than a Sao biscuit.
Adam Scott, now, playing with Our Pamps ... he’s got about 9-iron, wind from the right ... oh, beautiful shot, it comes in on the wind and rolls to about 8 feet. Birdie chance? You’d give him about $1.50 if you were a betting man, and I am.
They call it Moving Day, the Saturday, and we’ve seen Rory McIlroy move alright, almost out of contention. But he’s really, really good at golf, Rory, and remains clinging on like a rock-climber on his fingers on K2, something like it.
But at even par for the Championship he does not appear among our Leading Players:
Rod Pampling -5
Brett Rumford -4
Jordan Spieth -4
Greg Chalmers -4
Adam Scott -3
Adam Crawford -2
Aron Price -1
David Bransdon -1
Jason Norris -1
Jake Higginbottom -1
Todd Sinnott (Am)-1
Updated
Gregory Chalmers makes another very good, even mechanical up-and-down, and he’s -4 and equal second. He’s a former champion, won at the Lakes a couple of years ago. My mate Brent got 40-1 for him, and had Chalmers sign his TAB ticket on the 18th green. Isn’t that a fine tale.
Rory now, in a shirt the blokes I’m drinking beer with describe as turquoise ... he makes a tidy little par putt.
Updated
Jordan Spieth! Birdie time, well done. He’s gone from 3-under to 4-under in the way of these things, and he’s just one off the lead. And for mine, one of the players to beat now that Rory’s chopping it about.
Rocket Rod ...? Gets it. Very nice putt, he’s 45 years old being pro golf for most of those years, he’s our Outright Dear Leader on 5-under.
He’s playing with Adam Scott, they’re on the par-3 15th ... and Adam, red shirt, light brown pants, very natty, he’s hit a... shot ... to the centre of the green, but a fair way from the flag.
Brett Rumford? From the rough, he hits one high over the flag .. and it runs through to the back.
And now, dear sweet Todd Sinnott, the amateur ... has a super-long putt for bird ... and his six-footer for the par isn’t lay-down misere gettable. But he gets it, he’s good.
Updated
Okay, live golf, the best kind, and Rod Pampling our Dear Outright Leader, someone’s hexed him in his backswing ... and he’s slid his chip by the hole. He needs a 12 footer to make par and remain our Dear Outright Leader.
Leaderboard?
It is thus:
Rod Pampling -5
Brett Rumford -4
Greg Chalmers -4
Adam Scott -3
Jordan Spieth -3
Jason Norris -2
Todd Sinnott (Am) -2
Adam Crawford -2
My but this is a pretty golf course. Not a heck of a lot of trees. But the bunkering, the greens, the surrounds, the fairways ... the fairways aren’t much off other clubs’ greens. It’s a superb layout, and full of wealthy types who walk from the locker room to the bar in the nude. True story. Kerry Packer was a member here, he made the General Manager cry because they didn’t stock his favourite brand of biscuites, Monte Carlos. True-ish story.
Jordan Spieth of Texas, a long wedge ... he’s stiffed it pretty close. Not really close. But pretty close, man. Pretty close.
Here’s Adam Crawford, he’s -2 and in the Chalmers-Rory group ... he’s whacked one in the trap, also.
And here’s Rory, on the back of a triple and a double ... will he hole this? Win a Lexus...? he’s staring it down. And ... beautiful shot. Superb shot. He’s stiffed it to 10 feet. Career shot for the 8-marker from Long Reef, I can give you that tip and more.
Righto, Greg Chalmers and Rory McIlroy on the Win a Lexus Like Scott Gardiner Did Hole, the par-3 11th, and it’s 172 metres (190 yards, ish), and Chalmers, into the wind ... he’s short, well short, in the sand.
Greg Chalmers, for par ... it’s about a 5-footer. Top putt, whack, guts. They’re the ones you need to score well when you’re chopping it about otherwise.
Here’s Rory for the bogey. No ... he’s gone triple-double the last two holes, and all we choppers think: we could do that! Now we can play golf like Rory McIlroy.
Greg Chalmers, playing with McIlrory. Nice little chip to four feet.
Onto the 12th hole and Jordan Spieth with Driver, he’s smoked that like a four-foot Cuban, a mighty whack.
Almost the same shot now for Rory. A little fluffy nipper ... or something. Nice shot. You’d be very happy with it. But Rory has ten feet for a bogey. Leaking like a colander.
Here’s Rory, he’s out in the tundra again. On a lot of twigs and leaves and stuff. He’s got his wedge out ... this could go anywhere. Tough shot. And he ... connects poorly, fluffy, and fat. Nasty. He’s still got work to do.
Here is Adam Scott, from downtown on 13... big putt ... top putt, you’d be very happy with it you were an 8-marker from Long Reef GC, I can assure you. But these guys, it’s just what they do.
Pampling now ... GREAT PUTT! HE’S GOT THE OUTRIGHT LEAD. Five-under. Beautiful putt.
Okay - Brett Rumford, birdie putt, slides by. Saw him in a lift once, Brett Rumford, just before he was about to head off to play in the 2008 Australian Open at Royal Sydney, and the man looked very suave, even coiffed. His golf kit is top notch.
Rodney Pampling, now, our Other Leader, he’s got a 9-iron ... oh, nice shot, it goes up the tier ... it’s close enough.
Spieth on 11... for par ... misses. He’s not the Co-Leader anymore.
Here’s Greg Chalmers, a lefty ... whack and ... HOOK! And he yells Fore right! which means people watching thereabouts should run away.
Jordan Spieth, now ... whacks one long into a fairway trap. Tough conditions now, the wind’s a little blustery and can’t decide exactly what direction it’s settled on coming from, silly wind.
Wow - Rocket Rod, super long putt, it’s drifted down near the hole from a thousand metres away. Tap in par, he remains our Dear Co-Leader.
Todd Sinnott, leading Amateur and two off the pace ... birdie putt ... no cigar.
Rory? Wow - triple-bogey on the 10th, he’s 3-over for the day and all on one hole. He’s three off the lead. And he’ll be back. Nor-easterly wind causing these uber-men of golf a little grief.
Righto, here’s our Leader, Rocket Rodney Pampling, he’s been around longer than Ulura, he whacks one out of a fairway bunker, beautiful.
Jordan Spieth now ... blocks one a little right. Pin-high, but okay, fair way from the hole but they’re good at golf these people, and it should present no conceivable problem.
Okay, here’s Rory, out in the wheat. The ball’s on a mat, or something, some old bit of hessian hidden out there in the tundra. There’s a rules guy explaining things. Rory’s ripping off bits of hessian... but it’s unplayable ... and yes, he’s picked it up. And he’s taking two club lengths and hoping the driver length gets him somewhere good ... he’s got to drop the ball inside the two clubs ... he’s dropped it. And the ball ... it’s not much chop. But it’s hittable. And the man can hit.
Oh - but word is he’s already had a crack at it. So he’s now in play, and playing four on a par-4, the tenth... tough stuff. He’s looking at double-bogey at best. AND OH! HE’S BLOCKED ANOTHER ONE RIGHT, BEGORRAH!
Four-way tie? Five-way tie! Greg Chalmers joins the contenders on 4-under, and our Leaderboard looks thus:
Rod Pampling -4
Brett Rumford -4
Jordan Spieth -4
Rory McIlroy -4
Greg Chalmers -4
Adam Scott -3
Todd Sinnott (Am) -2
Adam Crawford -2
Bogey, Jordan Spieth, and Rodney Pampling is our outright leader on -5.
Brett Rumford, from the sand ... very good. Close. You’d just about sell a kidney to get up and down out of the sand every time, I would, definitely, you have two after all and you can still carry on.
Rory? He’s blocked a drive into the wheat.
Rod Pampling for par? No good. And we have a 4-way tie in front on -4.
Okay, here’s Our Rory, in a shirt whose colour you’d need a colour palette to describe. It’s like a really light green/white. Puce? Dunno who am I Francis Bacon I am not. But I do like the shirt. Rory rolls in a nice downhill par putt to remain equal second.
Okay, here’s our Dear Co-Leader, Jordan Spieth, whacking a wedge into the 18th (his ninth today) ... oh! Unlucky. He’s hit a perfect little spinning wedge that hits the flag and whacks back off the flag and off the green. Tough break, kid, as they say in the movies.
Updated
Greg Chalmers, now, in second place he smacks a long-iron worm-burner straight into the nor-easter, keeping it low and sneaking onto the green and just avoiding the trap. Looks an easy up-and-down.
Okay, here comes Gandalf the Grey Except Red, Rod Pampling, he’s got himself a share of tip billing here in the Australian Open, a birdie sees him equal leader on -5 with Jordan “River of” Spieth.
Jordan? The wonder of Wikipedia tells us Jordan is a country officially called the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, an Arab kingdom in Western Asia, on the East Bank of the Jordan River.
Jordan the golfer is a 21-year-old Texan who attended St. Monica Catholic School and Jesuit College Preparatory School in 2011), which doesn’t seem that long ago to be at high school.
Updated
Okay, here we go, The People, we’re at the golf course known as The Australian on a gob-danglingly glorious Sydney day, and the golf is as good as Brazilian gold bullion.
Who’s winning? Jordan Spieth, the 21-year-old Wonder Kid of Texas is out on his Pat Malone at 5-under, one clear of Greg Chalmers, Rory McIlory and Brett Rumford. Looming a shot behind them is Captain Perfect, Adam Scott, and several others notably Rod Pampling who’s a pro so wizened he’s a red-haired version of Gandalf The Grey.
And the leaderboard looks thus:
Jordan Spieth -5
Greg Chalmers-4
Rory McIlroy -4
Brett Rumford -4
Rod Pampling -3
Adam Scott -3
Todd Sinnott (AM) -3
Adam Crawford -2
Updated
Good afternoon and welcome to live coverage of the third round of the Australian Open from Sydney.
Matt Cleary is currently polishing his putter but will be along shortly to take you through what should a fantastic day’s play at the Australian Golf Club.
Aussie Greg Chalmers is in the box seat, of course, at five under for the tournament. But a strong field including world number one Rory McIlroy, who is one shot behind, and local favourite Adam Scott, three shots adrfit, are bang in contention.
Greetings Australians and welcome back to The Australian for Round Three of this brilliant open championship of Australian golf. We’ve seen some flat-out sensational play from some of the planet’s best golf men, and if you can get down to Rosebery in Sydney’s suburban east you should it’s grouse.
Grouse? How about this day? Another cracker here in spunky old Sydney Town, maybe 27 degrees, a fine little southerly making these super-men of golf ask their caddies more than once about what club to whack away with, and all played out on a course so beautiful it makes you feel ugly just to stride upon it. It’s a sexy green beast this The Australian, and while it’s hell on grammar, if you were a member here you’d walk around like you’d made it. And in the nude. True story: it’s a Thing at The Australian, the members bar adjoins the locker room, and after rounds of golf the members of The Australian stride about in the nude. And good luck to them everyone should stride about nude it’s how our mommas made us.
Wow. That went off tangent fast.
The golf? Well, it’s been grand. Watching the best players in the world - the world’s number one and number two, no less, Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott - is just … well, for we amateur club choppers, they’re not playing the same game. It’s golf you could only play on a Playstation if you had no job and only played Playstation, spending all day in your jimmy-jams. It’s super-man golf. Exciting stuff.
Who’s winning? European Tour vet Brett Rumford is equal leader on 5-under with Todd Sinnott, a 22-year-old amateur who’s motto is “2nd is just the first looser”. Todd’s enjoying the most momentous three rounds of golf his life and if he wins it’ll be up there with Aaron “Badds” Baddeley’s victory at the turn of the century. Hard to see that happening, however, given it’s Moving Day and Scott and McIlroy are in the house, along with Jordan Spieth, another preternaturally super-fine player.
Indeed as I type Spieth has joined our leaders at 5-under.
We’ll be back at 2pm AEST (2am GMT). I’m Matt Cleary. Talk at you soon.
