Weather halts day one of MasterCard Masters
BY Bruce Young | Australasian PGA Tour | 2004 MasterCard Masters | Round One | 09 Dec 2004
The weather, which had been so disappointing in yesterdays pro-am, did an about face early today on day one of the 2004 MasterCard Masters as the field teed off at the Huntingdale Golf Club in Melbourne’s famed sandbelt region. The gentlest of breezes and fine overhead conditions greeted the players and with the golf course softened by rain over the past two days, those out early needed to take advantage.
The rain which fell on Wednesday took much of the sting out of the Huntingdale layout prompting Craig Parry, one of the pre-tournament favourites and a three time winner of the event, to say that he would prefer the course to be playing hard and fast as it is in that state that the layout is at its demanding best. It is under those conditions that Parry, a fine course strategist, likely feels he has his best chance to do well again. He may just get his wish by the weekend, but today there were opportunities galore, especially early.
The first out of the blocks were the New Zealanders, who had been noticeably missing in action in the first two events of the summer. Stephen Scahill, who last week played in Hong Kong, opened with consecutive birdies and when he birdied the 6th, he had the lead on his own.
In a roundabout way there was a connection to New Zealand with the other early leader Todd Morgan. He gained a last minute start in the event courtesy of the withdrawal of Phil Tataurangi, who has again fallen victim to back problems. Morgan wasn’t going to let this chance go by and by the time he had reached the 15th tee, he was at 5 under and ahead by one over Peter O’Malley.
Morgan has played mainly the Von Nida Tour and Sunshine Tour this year after missing his Asian Tour card earlier in the season and given that he has missed the cut and withdrew in the three Australasian Tour events in which he has played in 2004, this was a performance out of the ordinary for him. Morgan has been working on his swing for most of this year with his coach Leith Wastle and said now that all the work is behind him he is keen to “just get out and play.” Morgan had caddied earlier in his life for Mike Clayton in several events and said that some of Clayton’s passion for the game had rubbed off on him. “There were occasions today when I felt out of my depth but that is what I want to feel more and more in order to extend myself.”
O’Malley, somewhat of a course specialist here despite not winning, was coming off a 9th place last week at Coolum which was a lot better than his missed cut at the Australian Open. His European Tour season has not been great by his recent standards but he is a consistently good performer on home soil. His only win in Australia came at the Canon Challenge in 1998 although he has won two Australasian Tour events in New Zealand.
Amongst the early starters were two of the hot favourites to win the event, Peter Lonard and defending champion Robert Allenby. Lonard made a horror start dropping two shots in the first three holes but by the 9th he was starting to warm to the task. A birdie there from three feet was followed by another two putt birdie at the 10th. He would birdie again at the 11th then followed that from ten feet at the 12th. A comment to his manager Mick Graham as he walked from the 10th tee may have told the story for Lonard. “I’m just starting to wake up,” he said. That comment no doubt reflecting a certain amount of weariness given the hectic pace of the last few weeks. Lonard would go on to record an opening round of four under 68 and he is once again circling the leaders.
Allenby on the other hand got to three under through seven holes and looked to be cruising until brought unstuck by a double bogey at the par five seventh perhaps getting too adventurous after driving into the left hand bunkers. His attempt to clear the bushes ahead from the bunker failed and he was then forced to take a drop. He turned in just one under but four holes later he was sharing the lead with Corey Pavin. Another birdie at the 16th from very close range saw him take the lead outright but a bogey at the 17th had him back sharing the lead with Pavin. At the 18th Allenby hit his second to twelve feet and he holed that to take the lead on his own again.
Allenby highlighted later that his putting over the last eight holes was pure. “I left the putter I won with here last year back in the States. Don’t ask me why I just rushed out of the house and forgot it. I actually bought a putter two weeks ago at the Australian Open and took some weight out of it last week and it feels good. Today when I had the double bogey I wasn’t unduly disturbed. I knew there were still plenty of birdies in fact every hole on this golf course, especially today, I felt was a birdie chance for me so I just got on with it.”
Allenby took last week off to perform some of his charity work and to spend a few days in the Barossa with his wife and friends.
Pavin, the ultimate golfing craftsman, very quickly worked out a way to negotiate his golf ball around Huntingdale. Coming off a confidence building fourth placing last week, a somewhat resurgent year in 2004, had six birdies by the 11th, his only blemish coming with a bogey at the 8th. He then parred in, apart from a bogey at the 17th and at four under he is looking good to once again be in contention on Sunday.
Parry was another to finish strongly after a slow start to his round. One over through three holes was still at even par with five holes to go but then reeled off the most unlikely finish given the demands of the closing holes at Huntingdale.
“Normally here you would expect to be doing well to if you managed to pick up a couple of birdies coming in,” he said, “but to finish with five well I’m not sure that’s been heard of around here. I holed my bunker shot at the 16th which helped but I am playing ok. I got on the wrong side of the draw at the Australian Open and last week and got on the back foot early so it is nice to start well.”
Also out there in the morning group was the brilliant 17-year-old Queenslander, Jason Day. Two weeks ago Day was the leading amateur at the Australian Open and today he outscored his two playing partners, Geoff Ogilvy and Stephen Allan.
“I really hit my irons well today,” he said “which wasn’t the case at the Australian Open. It is nice beginning to feel like I belong here. Several of the pros came up to me after the round and congratulated me on my round. It has been a good build up the last few weeks at the Queensland Open, the Queensland PGA and the Australian Open and just an awesome experience.”
As the afternoon approached there was an increase in the humidity and the forecast storms were becoming not just a possibility but a reality. At 2.45pm the hooters sounded and play was suspended for lightning with Bradley Hughes out on the 12th hole having taken the lead fifteen minutes earlier with an eagle at the 10th to go to 7 under for the day.
Hughes, who this year regained his USPGA Tour card via the Nationwide Tour, is a two time winner here at Huntingdale and clearly feels very much at home here. He has returned to continue to work on his game in preparation for his return to the PGA Tour in 2005.
With the siren sounding all players were forced to immediately halt play but there was one who although he heard it, did not. Andrew Webster was two over at the time playing the 16th hole when he heard the siren but because he played after the siren he was disqualified. Apparently it hadn’t registered with Webster that it would necessitate an immediate halt to play. In years gone by players were allowed to complete the hole which they were playing after the siren had been sounded but with the issues surrounding general safety concerns and litigation there is an immediate requirement for all play to be halted.
Others on the course who were going well at the time were Dean Alaban, Steve Bowditch, Richard Lee, Adam Crawford, Simon Nash, Jarrod Moseley, Camilo Villegas and Paul Gow who, at various stages of their back nines were all at three under. As the second storm hit at around 4.45pm and an even heavier one than the first, the chances of getting any further play in on day one seemed to reduce quickly.
Finally at 5.30pm a decision was made to call play for the day with play scheduled to recommence at 6.50am Friday with tee times on day two put back one hour to allow for the logistics of finishing of play. It might just be that this is a break for the likes of Hughes and others still on the course, as apart from an early rise tomorrow they will get the opportunity to get first use of re-cut greens and hopefully calm conditions that are likely to prevail.
