Adam Scott appears to be in control of his defense of the Australian PGA Championship.
As ‘Strange’ as it may seem, everything is as expected going into the final round of the Australian PGA Championship and then again there is the unexpected too on Moving Day!
Adam Scott, two strokes back of two relatively unknown co-leaders to start Round 3 on Saturday at the RACV Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast, continued his calculating, consistent and stellar play and posted a 3-under par 69, to move to the top of the leader board heading into Showdown Sunday.
Strange as it may sound, the co-leaders after Round 2—Wade Ormsby and Scott Strange posted 1-under par 71s to remain in the lead though joined by Scott. As if a “Before and After” category on Jeopardy, Adam Scott Strange is the final twosome teeing off at 11:45 am. Joining Ormsby in the penultimate pairing will be Jason Scrivener who followed a 73-66 start with a more stable 68 to keep moving in the right direction on Moving Day.
The spectacularly Graham Marsh- redesign and the spectacular RACV Royal Pines Resort are winners this week. The Australian PGA Champion is yet to be identified.
Unexpectedly, the shorter newly Graham Marsh-redesigned front nine played a stroke and a half harder than the back nine. American Boo Weekley got back into contention after a chip-in eagle on the par-5 12th hole and a birdie on the par-4 13th hole. Weekly will be joined in the second-to-last group to tee off by Michael Hendry who had the low round of the windy day—a five-biride, no bogey 67.
Great Scott, there is an American named Scott Stallings, who surged to within four strokes of the lead at day’s end with a back nine 5-under par 31 (eagle with 3 birdies) after a ‘thank you Graham Marsh’ pedestrian 1-over par 37 on the front.
On Thursday the low round was 65 (Jin Jeong ringing the door bell), on Friday it was Strange and Scrivener’s 66s and today it was Hendry’s 67. Strange as it seems, and keeping in the same direction I am thinking a low round of 4-under 68 by any of those named above within four strokes of the lead (and David Snail 68-71-71 with a bookend 68) will be enough to seal the deal and take home the Joe Kirkwood Cup.
My guess is that Scott will be Adam Scott!
Any Jeopardy! fans out there? Adam Scott Strange or Ormsby? Who will win the Australian PGA Championship at RACV Royal Pines Resort? It is time for Final Jeopardy! Doo dee doo dodo doo dee doo Doo dee doo dee doo-…dododododo Doo dee… and the final putt drops and the winner of the Joe Kirkwood Cup is??? What I did ‘before and after’ this ‘Golf Journey to Australia & New Zealand’ I do not know… (Facebook Link, Andy Reistetter, 12/13/14)
