Australian Open: Curtis Luck not out of place with Spieth and Ogilvy

This is what dreams are made of when you are an aspiring golf professional.

Australian amateur Curtis Luck fires an iron out of the rough during his opening round of 67 at Royal Sydney yesterday. Picture. Phil Hillyard

This is what dreams are made of when you are an aspiring golf professional. You finally get the chance to test yourself against one of the world’s best and you not only hold your own but outplay him at your national open.

That was the scenario that played out for 20-year-old Perth amateur Curtis Luck at the Australian Open yesterday, as he spun the opportunity to play with former world No 1 Jordan Spieth into an opportunity to lead the tournament on the first morning.

By the end of his round Luck had carded a five-under-par 67 and 2014 Australian Open winner Spieth was two shots back.

The other major winner in the trio, 2006 US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy, was a further shot behind.

Not bad for “a stinky amateur’’ as Luck later described himself.

Upstaging two major winners in the biggest tournament on home soil could be a heady brew for a young player but the US Amateur champion wasn’t getting ahead of himself.

With his man-bun, beard and turquoise skinny-fit trousers, he’s clearly of the hipster zeitgeist, but he wisely refrained from making any outlandish predictions about his future in the sport.

Spieth, who is only three years older at 23 but has two major titles to his name, was impressed by Luck’s attitude, particularly after he had back-to-back bogeys late in the round.

“I thought he was better composed than I was,’’ the American said. “Certainly I learned a bit from him today on that side of things. He was smiling the whole time, really enjoying himself.

“He could have shot even-par for the day and instead he turned that into five-under there in the middle of the round, so that kind of stuff is unteachable, and he has that.’’

Luck said he was surprised he wasn’t more anxious when he began his round on the 10th tee in the top marquee group of the morning.

“I wasn’t actually that nervous and I think it was purely because Geoff and Jordan are so casual and so legitimately nice that we were chatting on the first tee before I’d even teed off, so they really settled me down and obviously making a birdie down the first helps a lot,’’ Luck said.

“Fortunately I was able to go down the 10th feeling pretty good.’’

His good vibes continued throughout the round as he rolled in seven birdies, with just the two bogeys to blemish the day.

He was often wayward off the tee, visiting bunkers, trees and an amenities block, but he scrambled exceptionally well and his short game was immaculate. He reeled off three consecutive birdies from the 6th hole after the two bogeys.

“Really, really, really impressive player,’’ was Spieth’s summation. “Real simple golf swing … just kind of understands where he’s at. And how to play different shots and then around the greens he was spectacular, which is something that you certainly need to take with you up to the next level. So he’s certainly got all the tools.’’

Before the tournament both Ogilvy and Spieth predicted that an amateur could win this week, replicating Aaron Baddeley’s feat in 1999, and they saw no reason to revise their opinions.

“It seems the way his game is that the tougher weather will play in his favour as well,’’ Spieth said.

But the Texan is not discounting his own chances. He’s had a win and a second in this tournament in the past two years and is satisfied that he is in a position to contend for a second title this week.

As one wag observed, he was playing with Luck but it didn’t rub off on him.

“I wasn’t doing anything incredible (today), I was just kind of managing myself and just getting it around really,’’ Luck said.

He is both dreamer and realist.