The Australian Open has been given a huge boost after world No.2 Jordan Spieth committed to the event for a third straight year.
With the tournament at Royal Sydney Golf Club from November 17-20 leading into the World Cup of Golf in Melbourne, officials are expecting a bumper field.
And Spieth, who won the Australian Open in 2014 before finishing tied second with Adam Scott behind Matt Jones last year, is the first big name to confirm his entry.
"I have really enjoyed my previous visits to Australia and I can't wait to get back in November," Spieth said.
"I look back at my win with great memories as it helped me build momentum for 2015."
Photos From Jordan's Victory at the 2014 Australian Open
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Jordan lines up his putt before sinking it for a birdie on the first hole of the 2014 Australian Open. It might have been Jordan’s first visit to Australia but not his first connection with Australia. His coach Cameron McCormack is from Melbourne and joined Jordan on the trip to Sydney.
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Jordan’s bunker shot helped him save par on the par-3 11th to keep him at 2 under. Jordan was paired with Adam Scott and Nick Cullen, the newly crowned Australian Masters champion, for the first two rounds.
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Jordan makes his approach shot on the par 5 14th hole. He birdied the hole on his way to a round of 67 and the top spot of the leaderboard in tough weather conditions.
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Jordan’s one-over 72 on the second day was punctuated by an incident on the par-3 4th hole. After Jordan’s long iron tee shot rolled just over the back of the green into light rough, an inattentive tournament official disturbed the ball, causing it to move. A frustrated Jordan ended up with a bogey. “I was not happy going to the next hole.” Read More
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Jordan got back on track with birdies on holes 8 and 9 but wound up with a one-over 73 for the day, his highest round of the tournament. Here he tees off on the par-4 16th.
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On Saturday, Jordan roared back with a two-under 69 in difficult weather conditions. “It was a tough track today — almost every hole has a side wind,” said Jordan. Read local coverage of the third round conditions.
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Jordan was one of the few players to master the wind-swept course on a day that only eight players were under par. After his round, Jordan said, ”I almost prefer it, wind and a very difficult golf course, I feel like plays into my hands.”
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Starting off the day sharing the lead with Greg Chalmers and Brett Rumford, Jordan quickly pulled away from the Australians with the best round of the tournament — and his career. Here he acknowledges the crowd after holing out on the 9th, going 4-under on the front 9.
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With Greg Chalmers in the background, Jordan lines up his putt on the 17th green. With the outcome no longer in question, a calm and collected Jordan rolled in his putt for his 7th birdie of the day.
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Jordan sinks his birdie putt on 18 and celebrates his first title of 2014, becoming the first American to win the Australian Open since Brad Faxon in 1993, when the 21-year-old Spieth was four months old.
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Jordan acknowledges the crowd after putting on the 18th hole and winning the 2014 Australian Open. Throughout the tournament Jordan praised the fans at the The Australian Golf Course for their thoughtfulness and support. It's one of the reasons why Jordan said, "Yes, I'm certainly coming back to Australia."
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Jordan Spieth's Final Round Scorecard
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Jordan holds the Stonehaven Cup, the trophy awarded to the winner of the Australian Open. Seeing that his name will go right under Rory McIlroy, last year’s Open winner, Jordan said, "If I had the follow-up year that Rory had this year, I'd be pleased this time next year.”
