Golf superstar Jordan Spieth has blamed some rust and nerves for his slow start to his Australian Open title defence.
The three-time American major champion is seven shots behind leader Cameron Davis after yesterday's opening round of one-under-par 70 in difficult afternoon winds at The Australian in Sydney.
On a day when Kiwi golfer Brad Shilton earned a $17,000 watch for nailing a hole-in-one at the par-3 11th, Spieth had an uncharacteristic five bogeys in his round but was far from dismayed, rather looking forward to the usually calmer morning conditions today to make up ground.
Spieth was teeing up for the first time in almost two months since the Presidents Cup. "This was actually the longest I have had between tournaments since maybe college so I was a little anxious to get started," he said. "I kind of had the nerves to begin and my short game was a bit rusty and then I started to pick it up and play pretty well."
The 24-year-old world No2 is renowned for his mental toughness and was bemused to find himself frequently making bogey right after a birdie. "Yeah, it's rare," he said. "I take a lot of pride in bounce-back stats, after a bad hole, coming back and making a birdie.
