Australian Open: Rod Pampling back in the swing

ROD Pampling was on the road to nowhere until he happened to watch some eight-year-old video of his swing.

Rod Pampling follows the flight of his iron shot on the 4th hole in the final round

VETERAN Australian Rod Pampling was on the road to nowhere until he happened to watch some eight-year-old video footage of his swing in his lead-up to the Australian Open.

He and his coach watched that footage in the US five or six weeks ago and it was a revelation.

Over time Pampling had subtly changed his address to the ball and not for the better. From a career-high world ranking of 25 in 2006, the year he won the Bay Hill Invitational on the US PGA Tour, he had slumped to 479, losing his tour card in 2013.

Since then, the 45-year-old Pampling has been slogging it out on the secondary Web.com tour and trying to rediscover the magic.

Now he has. Yesterday he recorded his best result in Australia since he won the 2008 Masters title, finishing outright second behind American Jordan Spieth at seven-under the card, after a final round of three-under 68. He said the correction to his stance over the ball had made an almost immediate impact on his swing.

“I got a little bit on the left side too much, wasn’t as balanced as I could have been,’’ he said.

“It’s nice that it’s turned around so quickly. As soon as we started I could see it was better and the back nine here (five birdies in the last six holes) was great, really excited about it.’’

He now hopes to take that form into the Australian PGA championship at Royal Pines on the Gold Coast next week. He finished second in that tournament in 2012.

“If things keep going well, I will be there again,’’ he said. The consolation prize for the players who finished second, third and fourth behind Spieth yesterday was qualification for next year’s British Open at St Andrews.

Pampling last played the Open in 2009, coincidentally the last time it was held at St Andrews.

“It’s great, I wasn’t qualified and now I am,’’ he said.

“Especially being back at the Royal (and Ancient Club), it’s fantastic. That’s where golf started and I’m looking forward to it.’’

Brett Rumford, from Perth, was also thrilled to earn a place at the Open. “I didn’t even think of the British Open qualifying but when you play well there’s always something ahead that seems to lurk, some exemption or status or getting into some event, so it’s just great,’’ he said.

“If you can’t win your national open, obviously teeing it up in the British Open is a nice consolation prize.’’

Rumford, who plies his trade on the European tour, is renowned as one of the best short game players in the professional ranks and said he played to his strengths in the windy conditions over the last two days.

“I think my mental state of not really getting frustrated (was the key),’’ he said. “I was really calm out there. With the conditions, the tougher they get the more accepting I become of certain golf shots. I just drove it well and I made a lot of up and downs.’’