Jordan Spieth posts 8-under 63 to win Australian Open
It’s been a good year for Jordan Spieth.
Not only did the Longhorn tie Jonas Blixt to finish runner-up at the Master’s tournament in August, he destroyed the competition in his first trip to the Australian Open, scoring a three-day total of 13-under-271 that culminated with an astonishing score of 63, 8-under par, on Sunday. He’s the first American to win down under since Brad Faxon in 1993.
Spieth shot four birdies on the front nine—three of them in a row—to lead by three strokes Sunday. Then he shot four more birdies on the back nine to secure his lead, thumbing his nose at the windy conditions. His 63 set a record for the revamped course, which was being played as a par 71 for the first time.
“You don’t want any kind of crack in the door to be open, and I feel like we kept it shut from the front nine on,” Spieth said after the tournament.
Defending champion Rory McIlroy, who teased Spieth over Twitter after the Master’s, finished two over with a score of 72 after shooting 76 on Saturday. He tweeted his congratulations to Spieth after the tournament:
You could give me another 100 rounds today at The Australian and I wouldn’t sniff 63…. Well done @JordanSpieth very impressive!
— Rory Mcilroy (@McIlroyRory) November 30, 2014
Sunday also marked Spieth’s first win of 2014 and his second Tour win ever; he won the John Deere Classic in 2013, the same year he competed in the President’s Cup and was named PGA Rookie of the Year.
Spieth decided to forego his remaining years of eligibility at Texas and turn pro in December 2012, midway through his sophomore year. As a freshman, Spieth won Big 12 Player of the Year and was a part of the 2012 National Championship team that beat Alabama 3-2 to win Texas’ first golf title since 1972.
Photo courtesy UT Athletics
