Australian Open Golf

[Go_The_Mighty_Magpies]

Downes sets early Open pace

Fox Sports

YOUNG Queenslander Chris Downes has moved to a two-shot lead early in the first round of the Australian Open at Rye's Moonah Links today.

The 23-year-old has played flawlessly with four birdies and eight pars over the new links-style course to be four-under.

US Tour player Craig Parry is one of a group of players at two-under, while former Australian Open winner Greg Chalmers is another shot back.

Tournament favourite Robert Allenby is due to tee off shortly after midday.

[Donny]

Allan chasing Downes hard

Fox Sports

CHRIS DOWNES could be a pain to play golf with. But if he can keep up the pace he has set through the first two rounds of the Australian Open at Moonah Links, he won't mind what anyone thinks.

Downes, the leader after yesterday's first round, looked like being swallowed up by the pack after 10 holes today.

The Queenslander had dropped two shots and "couldn't find the middle of the club face".

But as he left the 10th hole he decided he needed to talk to someone.

So for the rest of the round he annoyed his caddie with an endless stream of chatter and climbed his way back to the top of the leaderboard.

Downes added a two-under par 70 today to his first-round 67 to be seven under and one shot clear beginning tomorrow's third round.

In second place is defending champion Steve Allan who shot 66 for the low round of the day, and American Ricky Barnes who has put together a par of 69s.

Downes began his round with a flourish, but the pressure of leadership produced a series of poor shots.

Three bogies and two birdies on the front nine had him out in 37 and he dropped a shot at the 10th to be three under for the tournament.

"I was really struggling for the first 10 holes," Downes said.

"There was a fair bit of nerves there.

"I wasn't speaking too much to my caddie and the other guys in the group.

"So I said to him "I've got to talk more".

"I feel a lot more at ease if I'm speaking to the guys and having a good time out there."

Fortunately, Downes' caddie Mick "Toad" Graham doesn't mind a chat either.

"He's the only real caddie I've had, we've got a good relationship," he said.

Downes will be partnered tomorrow by Allan, the titleholder from last year who today produced a course record to put him back into contention.

Allan put his round down to the absence of wind, the rain-softened greens and the confidence that comes from having beaten an almost identical field last year.

"The biggest thing is you know you can win the tournament," Allan said.

"You know you can win it if you're playing well and things go your way."

Allan said an off-the-cuff decision before last year's Open to adopt the Aaron Baddeley step-up-and-hit-it approach to putting had also done a lot for his game.

Until then Allan had failed to finish in the top 10 on the US Tour, but after it his game turned around and he produced a career-best second placing in the Greater Milwaukee Open and a week later was fifth in the BC Open in New York.

Out of frustration he decided to abandon his old putting routine over the final few holes of the tournament before Milwaukee.

"I guess it was Aaron Baddeley-style ... just look at the ball, one look at the hole and pull the trigger," he said.

The method seems to be working better for Allan than for its originator who today had a two-over par 74 to be one over after 36 holes and with little or no chance of adding to the two Australian Open titles he's already won.

Barnes, the second player at six-under has also adopted a radical putting method, employing the "claw" grip.

"I used to be a great putter, but it went," Barnes said.

For a player brought up on the American "target golf" courses, the 22-year-old Barnes has adapted well to a layout that is without comparison in Australian golf.

But he said he'd had a good preparation by playing this year's British Open at Royal St Georges.

"Now that was a funky course," Barnes said.

"You could get some wild bounces at that place."

137: Chris Downes (QLD) 67 70.
138: Stephen Allan (VIC) 72 66, Ricky Barnes (USA) 69 69.
139: Nathan Green (NSW) 69 70, Peter Senior (QLD) 71 68, Michael Wright (QLD) 71 68.
140: Jarrod Moseley (WA) 71 69, Andrew Tschudin (VIC) 70 70, Matthew Ecob (NSW) 72 68, Craig Jones (QLD) 69 71, Peter Lonard (NSW) 68 72, Craig Parry (NSW) 69 71.
141: John Senden (QLD) 71 70, Peter Fowler (NSW) 70 71, Greg Chalmers (WA) 71 70, Terry Price (QLD) 73 68, Stephen Leaney (WA) 71 70, Andrew Bonhomme (QLD) 73 68, Matthew Millar (ACT) 72 69.
142: Stuart Appleby (VIC) 69 73, Robert Allenby (VIC) 72 70, Scott Hend (QLD) 71 71, Aaron Byrnes (NSW) 70 72, Steven Conran (NSW) 73 69, James Nitties (am, NSW) 71 71, Martin Doyle (VIC) 73 69.
143: Richard Backwell (QLD) 74 69, Paul Gow (NSW) 75 68, Andrew McKenzie (am, ACT) 70 73.

[Donny]

Downes leads into final round

Fox Sports

PRESSURE and intimidation are words Chris Downes doesn't respond to.

He's not interested in big reputations – in fact he believes he's on the verge of establishing one himself.

And if he can continue to reject all attempts to dislodge him from the lead just one more day he will be the Australian Open champion.

The 23-year-old Queenslander, who has led from the start of the tournament at the testing Moonah Links layout, heads the field into the final day after shooting rounds of 67-70-71.

He is eight under par, one ahead of US Open runner-up Stephen Leaney and two in front of a group of players which includes Stuart Appleby and Peter Lonard.

Downes says he will shut out the stars trying to hunt him down tomorrow.

"You've got to. I'm out there trying my guts out and those guys are doing the same thing," Downes said.

"They're just another name, just another player, they've got the same amount of sticks in the golf bag.

"Those guys are a lot more experienced than I am but this past week has just been great for me as well.

"I've really got nothing to lose tomorrow – even though I'm leading the event I'm confident of doing well."

Adam Scott and Aaron Baddeley are of a similar age to Downes with established international resumes, but he clearly believes he can shortly join them.

"I have a lot of confidence in what I do out there," Downes said.

"Obviously Adam and Aaron have done a lot greater stuff that what I have at the moment but I'd like to think I'm not far behind those guys.

"They've played in a lot more events, have a lot more experience, more exposure to the media, but hopefully my time will come and hopefully this week," he said.

Downes will take a lot out of this week, regardless of the final outcome.

"If things don't plan out the way I hope, it will be a great experience this week," he said.

"But I was leading into the final round of the New Zealand Open this year and learned a great deal out of that as well – it's not a 54-hole event, you've got to play every hole on its merits, 72 holes is a lot of golf holes.

"Every event is an experience for me, I try and gain as much as I can out of each event."

He said he knows now "just to be patient more out on the course which I've done this week.

"Every time I've had a bogey, I've come back well and bounced back with a couple of birdies after that.

"In the past I probably would have let that get to me a little bit more and continue to slide and now I'm nipping it in the bud and knuckling down on the next hole."

The Queenslander said that he played better from tee to green today but "just didn't score."

"I felt like I missed a lot of opportunities and didn't make too many – I couldn't get the ball to the hole," he said.

He swept to nine under par at the 10th before slumping to a double bogey at the par three 11th, but for the second day in a row his recovery was impressive.

"I hadn't hit too many bad shots before that hole and I was kind of in between clubs on that par three, between a four and a five and hit a five iron and just mishit it," Downes said.

"I did bounce back well, I think I birdied the next par four and the par five.

"You've just got to take those bad holes out of your head," he said. "You're not the only guy having a bad hole out there."

The bad news for Downes is that Leaney, his closest rival, has been struggling with his swing.

He changed his grip on the sixth tee today, a dramatic move in the middle of a tournament, because he felt his grip wasn't strong enough.

"I had been getting away with things for the first two rounds. I did not think I played that well, but I did not put myself in any trouble," Leaney said.

The West Australian plans to call up memories of his US Open this year, when he was pipped for the title by American Jim Furyk.

"I am going to be nervous like I am in most tournaments but it's nice to have that week at the back of my mind. I can call back on what I felt and what I did, and the confidence I gained out of that particular week," Leaney said.

There are 20 players within five shots of the lead, including veteran Queenslander Terry Price who had a hole-in-one at the par three fifth but it seemed to rattle him as he finished level par for the day.

208: Chris Downes (Qld) 67 70 71
209: Stephen Leaney (WA) 71 70 68
210: Steven Conran (NSW) 73 69 68, Stuart Appleby (Vic) 69 73 68, Matthew Millar (ACT) 72 69 69, Peter Lonard (NSW) 68 72 70, Craig Jones (Qld) 69 71 70, Ricky Barnes (US) 69 69 72, Stephen Allan (Vic) 72 66 72
211: Martin Doyle (Vic) 73 69 69, Peter Fowler (NSW) 70 71 70, Matthew Ecob (NSW) 72 68 71, Jarrod Moseley (WA) 71 69 71
212: Scott Hend (Qld) 71 71 70, Robert Allenby (Vic) 72 70 70, John Senden (Qld) 71 70 71
213: Wade Ormsby (SA) 74 72 67, Scott Gardiner (NSW) 74 70 69, Terry Price (Qld) 73 68 72, Peter Senior (Qld) 71 68 74, Nathan Green (NSW) 69 70 74

[Donny]

Lonard overtakes lead to win

Fox Sports

PETER LONARD won the Australian Open golf championship with a typically solid performance at Moonah Links today.

The New South Welshman won by a shot from Stephen Leaney of Western Australia and Chris Downes of Queensland.

Lonard shot a final round, three-under par 69 to finish nine under for the championship.

With the championship in the balance, Lonard holed a three-metre birdie putt at the par five 18th leaving Leaney, playing in the group behind, needing to do the same from six metres to force a playoff.

Par was the best he could do, leaving Lonard with the title.

Starting the day, Downes led at eight under by a shot from Leaney.

But the pressure told at the 11th where he blocked his tee shot at the par three hole into the right rough and then miscued a chip.

His game then unravelled until he holed a long birdie putt at the last, leaving him on his overnight score.

At one stage of the final round, seven players held a share of the lead before Leaney broke the deadlock with a birdie at the par five 13th.

Lonard, whose near faultless play through the middle of his round got him to within striking distance, joined Leaney by rolling in a three metre birdie putt at the 16th.

He then made a pressure par from the back of the 17th green before sealing victory at the final hole.

The victory earned Lonard $270,000 and secured him the 2003 Australasian PGA Order of Merit crown.