Australian Open golf: Amateur can win Open, say Ogilvy, Spieth

Major winners Jordan Spieth and Geoff Ogilvy agree that an amateur could win this week’s Australian Open.

Geoff Ogilvy hits a driver in practice for the Australian Open Golf Championship at Royal Sydney. Picture: Phil Hillyard.

Major winners Jordan Spieth and Geoff Ogilvy agree that an amateur could win this week’s Australian Open for the first time since Aaron Baddeley triumphed at Royal Sydney in 1999.

As the tournament returns to the scene of Baddeley’s triumph, Spieth and Ogilvy believe the current crop of Australian amateurs, led by US Amateur champion Curtis Luck, is so strong that they could well upstage the professional field.

Tournament director Trevor Herden has also acknowledged their quality by including Luck, Queensland Open winner Brett Coletta and Australian Amateur champion Connor Syme (from Scotland) in the marquee pairings. World No 2-ranked Luck will play with Spieth and Ogilvy for the first two rounds.

Ogilvy would not be at all surprised if he trumped both of them, saying Luck was “dominating amateur golf’’.

“It was surprising when Badds won,’’ he said.

“There was still quite a separation between the best amateur and the pro tour in winning a tournament like this. There was quite a big gap but now there really isn’t that big a gap. The gap is really only in experience, not in skill now.’’

Spieth was also impressed by Luck’s “clutch finish’’ to win the US title.

“I don’t know much about his game but I know that Australian amateur golf is as good as ever right now,’’ the 23-year-old American said.

“We are seeing these guys, even the guys who have just turned pro, come over and make a home pretty quickly and become very comfortable in the states or wherever.

“The amateur golf right now being played is at a different level so it will be really exciting.

“I’m very happy with the pairing.’’

He said Luck and Coletta had already had professional victories “so I don’t see there being a difference in them coming in here and doing the same’’.

“With the calibre of amateur golf in Australia you put an (a) next to their name and all it means is that they are not going to get paid. It doesn’t mean there’s going to be a difference in performance this week whatsoever.

“If Curtis is in contention I’m not going to think this is a walk in the park. Instead, I’m going to think he’s going to play very fearless and it actually could be more difficult.

“There’s a lot of fantastic players in this field and this golf course is going to be a big-time challenge with the wind being up and you’ve got to go out there and really give respect to the golf course and try to take advantage of those easier holes because it’s anybody’s game.’’

Ogilvy, 39, said today’s amateurs were far more ready to hit the ground running when they turned professional than previous generations.

“They are so good now, aren’t they? It’s incredible,’’ the 2006 US Open champion said.

“I think the coaching and the whole thing of preparing a guy to get on tour is much better than it used to be, and it was really good when I did it, but it’s clearly a lot better now.

“Golf Australia is much more on the same page with the golfers.

“Before there was a bit more of a (professional) versus amateur golfer breakdown and now it’s more ‘how do we make it better for you when you do turn pro’ and I think the mentality is really good and they (the amateurs) are great.’’

Cameron Davis, who combined with Luck and Harrison Endy­cott to win the Eisenhower Trophy (world amateur teams championship) in September, ­illustrates his point.

Davis turned professional in October and finished in the top 15 in his first US PGA tournament in Mexico last weekend, pocketing more than $100,000.

Cameron Smith is another who made a flying start to his professional career when he finished fourth at last year’s US Open.

Perth’s Min Woo Lee, the younger brother of Australia’s top female player, Minjee Lee, is another to watch as the reigning US Junior Amateur champion.

If one of the amateurs triumphs on Sunday, Ogilvy will count it an even bigger achievement than Baddeley’s.

“This tournament ever since (about 2000) when it was really trying to find itself, the last 10 years it’s got better every single year,’’ he said.

“It’s felt like a bigger and bigger tournament.’’

The 2013 Masters champion, Adam Scott, was helping one of Australia’s other leading ­amateurs, teenage NSW champion Austin Bautista, navigate Royal Sydney yesterday in a practice round.

Scott, who has New Zealander Steve Williams back on caddie duties this week, will be looking to go one better than last year’s second place at the Australian Open and add to his 2009 title at the NSW Golf Club.