Jordan Spieth saved his best for last – and produced an unintentional touching moment – as a sensational eight-under-par final round lifted him to victory in the Australian Open.
Spieth carded 63 in Sydney, a number that will resonate with a lot of Australians as that was the score cricketer Phillip Hughes was on before he died on Thursday from injuries sustained from being hit by a ball in the neck in a domestic game in the same city.
It is somewhat poignant that the American finished with a flourish on what would have been Hughes’ 26th birthday yesterday, a score that lifted him to 13-under overall and a six-shot win at the Australian Golf Club.
Spieth admitted afterwards that he had never played better.
“That was definitely the best round I’ve ever played,” he said on the tournament’s official website.
“At the start I didn’t think such a round was out there, but the putts kept going in.
"It was an awesome experience.”
The 21-year-old Texan began steadily enough despite a strong wind that appeared to make a low score nigh-on impossible.
Three straight pars were followed by birdies at four of his next five holes which ignited his challenge and sent him clear at the top of the leaderboard.
It was a position he did not relinquish and birdies at the 14th, 15th, 17th and 18th carried him to a new course record and victory in his first appearance Down Under.
It is the highly-talented Spieth’s second career victory, having broken his duck on the PGA Tour at the John Deere Classic last year.
Rod Pampling finished as runner-up on seven-under overall after a commendable 68 while Australian compatriots Brett Rumford and Greg Chalmers were third and fourth respectively.
McIlroy’s hopes of defending his title were dashed on Saturday, when a triple and double bogey on successive holes around the turn dropped him to five shots off the pace, and he finished on two-over after his final-round 72.
