Jordan Spieth shot 3-under-par 68 and climbed into a tie for third, four strokes behind leader Matt Jones, midway through his title defense at the 100th Australian Open at the Australian Golf Club in Sydney, Australia.
The 22-year-old Spieth, No. 1 in the World Golf Rankings, birdied three of the first seven holes and was a bogey-free 4-under until he made his only bogeys of the round on the 15th and 16th holes.
“It’s frustrating,” said Spieth, who won the tournament by six strokes last year. “I was striking the ball well, but you don’t (usually) see this much cross-wind on golf courses. It is tough to deal with.. I was striking the ball well, and it was a round I could have shot 6- or 7- under par, and I just didn’t have any chances.
“I had a lot of shots right at the pin, like at (Nos.) 9 and 10, and in the middle of the round I could have got something going, but managed to save myself when I got it wrong.”
Jones, winner of the 2014 Shell Houston Open on the PGA Tour, took full advantage of local knowledge on the Australian Golf Club course that he has played since he was 15, making his only bogey in a 68 on the 15th hole.
Matt Sinnott of Australia was three strokes back in second after a 70, while Spieth was tied for third with Nicolas Colsaerts of Belgium (66) and Australians Geoff Ogilvy (68), Aron Price (71) and first-round leader Lincoln Tighe (73). Ogilvy won the Aussie Open in 2010.
Amateur Bryson DeChambeau of Clovis and SMU, who won the NCAA Championship and the U.S. Amateur this year, shot 72 and was seven shots behind in a tie for 14th that included Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland, who posted a 67, and Lee Westwood of England, who also came in at 72. Westy won the tournament in 1997.
Adam Scott of Australia, who won the Australian Open in 2009, carded a 73 and was nine strokes down in a tie for 34th.
