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Leader: Jordan Spieth leads at the Australian Open

By Allsports.com.gh
Sports News Leader: Jordan Spieth leads at the Australian Open
NOV 27, 2014 LISTEN

Playing alongside Adam Scott, who struggled to a three-over 74, Spieth made the turn in one-under 34 before seizing the outright lead with a back-nine birdie blitz on day one.

The 21-year-old picked up a shot at the par-four 11th before a hat-trick of birdies from the 14th saw him open up a two-shot buffer.

A blemish at the penultimate hole and a short miss for birdie at the last saw the world number 14 settle for a 67 in an ominous Australian Open debut.

"Overall it was a solid round," Spieth said.
"I putted great, I didn't quite drive the ball up to the standards I'd like to see but that was day one and I've been driving the ball well so maybe it was just an off day with it ... but the short-game kept me in it today."

It was much different story for Scott who began with a disastrous double bogey at the opening hole and had another three bogeys to turn in five-over 40.

The Queenslander bounced back with birdies at the 12th and 14th holes to finish at three over but has his work cut out to make the cut on Friday.

"I had a bad start, I made the worst of my worst shots and I didn't convert any of the good one's early," Scott, who headed straight to the driving range after his round, said.

"I played okay on the back, I'm on the back foot again from the start."

McIlroy overcame jet lag and blustery morning conditions to card an opening two-under 69.

The defending champion battled with his swing midway through his round but rallied with three birdies on his back nine to be well placed in a seven-way tie for fourth after day one.

"I didn't really get much going, I made a lot of pars and the conditions were pretty tricky," McIlrioy said.

"It was tough to get the ball close to the pin with the wind and these greens are quite firm as well.

"I thought anything under par today was a decent score and it was nice to birdie the last and shoot something in the 60s and it puts me right there going into tomorrow."

"I feel like if I'm on my game I can get it going and shoot something in the mid to low 60s around this place."

Veteran Aaron Price fired the low round of the morning wave, a three-under 69, to sit alongside Scott Gardiner who made a hole-in-one at the par-three 11th and won a Lexus for his troubles.

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