Australian Open: Jordan Spieth expecting to see lots of Curtis Luck

Two of the world’s most exciting golfers hovered around the top of the leaderboard.

By midday the flags on top of the Royal Sydney clubhouse didn’t begin to flutter so much as wriggle. The sun was warming to its task and the conditions all morning had been perfect.

Hence, with the rest of the day to go and Adam Scott on the practice green, two of the most exciting golfers in the world were milling around on top of the leaderboard.

One was Jordan Spieth, winner of two major championships and former No 1 in the world. The other was Curtis Luck, the Perth amateur who has already qualified twice for next year’s US Masters.

Luck, one of the most exciting players in the world? We’ll let Spieth speak to that. “A really, ­really impressive player, Curtis, real simple golf swing … just kinds 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 to the next level. So he’s certainly got all the tools.”

Spieth himself could have scored better than his three under. He barely made a putt beyond three metres. It was his putting that allowed him to saunter to a win in the Australian Open in 2014 and then dominate last year with wins in the US Masters, the US Open and a second in the US PGA.

Yesterday there was something about the putting surface. “These poa annua greens are just getting a little bit into my head,” he suggested.

It might be the putting stroke itself, of course. We daren’t talk about that.

“But they start falling and once a couple do and I start finding that confidence, the hole looks a bit bigger, that’s when we can really open the floodgates.”

It is in every golfer’s DNA to be just about to solve some aberration in their game.

Geoff Ogilvy played with ­Spieth and Luck and sits on two-under after his 69. It is possible that he might hit the ball a little better. But the putts; he had 30 of them and Spieth 29. And Luck? Just 23.

Ogilvy’s assessment: “Looking back, three to get down from just off the green at the 2nd wasn’t good. I three-putted the 6th hole from nowhere. But what was most disappointing was the weakness of my misses in the 10-12 foot range. Not many of them looked like going in. If they had hit the hole and missed — and I had shot the same score — I’d be feeling a lot better about my day. But at least I can walk off and say, ‘no damage done’.”

Sharing the lead after a faultless 67 was Lucas Herbert, a 20-year-old, who specialises in odd ways to qualify for the Open. In 2014 after a brave showing in the Australian Masters, he drove overnight to Sydney, caught some sleep in the back set of the car, and then qualified at Carnarvon. He finished 23rd in the Open that Spieth dominated at The Australian.

Herbert described the madness as being a “celebrity in your own lunch box” which must mean something to someone.

This year, even after finishing second to amateur Brett Coletta in the Queensland Open, he had to push for a spot in the field gathered at Royal Sydney. He tweeted his cause to Golf Australia and was finally granted a spot. He is well-placed now and good enough to win. He did not record one bogey in his round yesterday but birdied five times from the 7th hole to the 16th.

The wind didn’t get much of a wriggle on in the afternoon and nor did the late starters.

Aaron Baddeley played a messy round which made you question whether his comeback has come and gone. He finished on 74, two-over-par, which included three bogeys and one birdie.

If he has cured his swing problems it was not evident yesterday as he hit every which way. He hit eight fairways in regulation and even fewer greens. Jesus still has some work to do.

He played with Scott, who was uncontrolled off the tee. He hit five fairways for the day and such inaccuracy led to five bogeys, four of which were written off by birdies. He is not out of the tournament obviously but dangerously he has given Spieth a four-shot advantage and Luck six.

A couple of generations made charges but wilted. Peter O’Malley, the veteran Australian enjoying time on the European senior tour, bogeyed the 18th for a 68. He had a share of the lead — helped in part by an exquisitely holed bunker shot on the 14th — until his drive turned left prematurely on the dogleg 18th. He found his way through the trees with his second but ended up with a limited backswing for his third. Three shots later he was in the clubhouse one off the lead. Nonetheless he was chuffed with his day’s work.

Coletta, 20, dashed after the lead and was four-under through the first nine. But he doubled bogeyed the 11th and three-putted from inside a metre to double-bogey the 17th. He has spirit as well as game. He birdied the last with a three metres putt and walked off one under par and four shots from the lead.

Australia has an impressive bunch of kids. They might be the story of the tournament. If only they could bat and bowl as well.