Day 22: Round 1 at the Australian Masters at ‘Metro’ in Melbourne!

I wanted to be here to see Adam Scott go off the 10th tee at 7:45 am with amateur Ryan Ruffels and Geoff Ogilvy. A 6 am alarm, shower and only a 15-minute, 8-kilometer commute from my accommodation in Glen Waverly. But it was 8:21 am before I sat in my chair in the media center at The Metropolitan Golf Club, a.k.a. known here as the ‘Metro.’ I get distracted easily and there is always some voyaging and documenting to do—meeting Mr. & Mrs. Will Call, checking out the cricket pitch and Australian football goal posts (and learn what a goal and a behind is) at the South Oakleaf Bowling Club, and meeting so many nice and helpful people as I got settled in here in the media center.

Adam started with four pars and then a bogey at the 15th. I wanted to see him play the 18th so out I went onto the course for the first time. I met up with the group on the 17th green just in time to see the 16-year old make a 40-foot bomb for birdie. Adam still at +1 and Geoff at even par both made par so the youngster had the honor on the 18th tee. He blasted a drive way down the fairway which the major champions were unable to match by about 30 yards. Scott bunkered his drive, was unable to advance the ball very far, then bunkered his approach and missed a 15-footer and made double-bogey. I watched the group play No. 1 and hit their tee shots on the par-3 12th hole. Scott would recover with all pars and an eagle on No. 6 on his second nine to finish with a 1-over par 73. Ogilvy had three birdies coming in to shoot a 3-under par 69. The fearless and confident kid who reminds me of a young (and older) Rory McIlroy bogeyed two of the last three to shoot a 3-over 75.

The low round of the day was a 5-under par 67 shot by four golfers—European Tour winner Stephen Allan, 2014 Texas Open champion Stephen Bowditch, the Number One ranked Australian Amateur Todd Sinnott, and Michael Wright who tweeted yesterday that he was “not sure if you can get a golf course in any better condition.” The three Americans in the field played decently with Kyle Stanley shooting a 69, Zac Blair a 70 and Boo Weekley an even par round.

I stopped by the television compound to say hello to one of the most talented and nicest people in the golf broadcasting business—Ian Baker Finch. He is the first person I have seen in the three weeks that I have been in Australia that I knew before I came here. He kindly introduced me to Peter Donegan, his fellow commentator, as they call them down here. Donegan is one of Australia’s most respected sports presenters and commentators and is with ABC (Australian Broadcasting Company). In American golf broadcasting terms Donegan is the host and Ian the analyst. On course reporters are Ossie Moore, who won the Order of Merit on the PGA Tour of Australasia in 1985, and Wayne Grady, winner of the 1990 PGA Championship. I am excited to watch some of the broadcast to get a feel for how it is produced and presented here in Australia, which surprisingly does not have a Golf Channel of its own. IMG produces the show and it is aired on the Seven Network.

In Australian golf, the Triple Crown refers to winning the three major domestic championships, the Australian Open, the Australian Masters and the Australian PGA Championship. Winning all three titles in the same season is a feat only achieved by Robert Allenby in 2005. I will be attending all three and it will be interesting to see if anyone matches Allenby’s feat in 2014!

Springtime in Australia, time for the Australian Masters… exciting first day!   (Facebook Link, Andy Reistetter, 11/20/14)