No pratice makes perfect for Jones at UBS Japan
BY Damien McDowell | Japan Tour | 2007 UBS Japan Golf Tour Championship | Round Two | 29 Jun 2007
Thanks to a decision to quit practising, Brendan Jones’ excellent start to 2007 continued this afternoon when he moved into the top 15 after a second consecutive even-par round of 70 at the UBS Japan Golf Tour Championship outside Tokyo.
The 32-year-old Jones, whose first child is due in three weeks time, has enhanced a more relaxed approach with a unique policy of not practising this year as he seeks to further build on his impressive resume in Japan.
The unusual tactic has paid dividends with top-15 finishes in all seven events he has played this year, including a win in April’s Tsuruya Open.
“The fact that I am having a child in about a month means I have found out there is more to life than golf and I have been a lot more relaxed. I am ready to be a dad and I am a lot happier,” he said.
“I have not done any practice either. Over the years, I have had to force myself to practice and this year I am playing great and I am not doing any practice. Until the time comes when I am struggling, just staying fresh is the key to playing good golf.”
With only 11 players remaining under par after a humid and rainy day, Jones, on an aggregate of even-par 140, trails Frankie Minoza of the Philippines and Japan’s Toru Taniguchi by four shots. The duo have a one shot lead over a group of four players – Japan’s Toshinori Muto, Kaname Yokoo and Shingo Katayama and overnight leader Naoya Takemoto, who stumbled with a 74 after his opening seven-under 63.
For Jones, it was his new and novel approach that saw the six-time Japan Tour winner rally from a mid-round stumble today. “I had a bit of bad patch in the middle of the round, where I went bogey-double bogey-par-bogey, but apart from that I have had a pretty fair last couple of days.”
“The rain had just started which made it tough, but I nearly holed in one on 13 when I hit it to one foot and then I hit it to two feet on 14. I didn’t make any putts out there really. The birdies I made were tap-ins and I just made a couple of bad swings.”
Expanding on his new game plan, he said: “I don’t hit practice balls. I hit balls to warm up, but I do not go hitting them for hours on end. When I am struggling with a certain part of my game, I do a bit of work, but I I am happy with my game and I haven’t finished out of the top 15 all year. Until I see my game slipping, I am happy to stay fresh.”
Meanwhile, Scott Laycock, the leader of the six-man Australian contingent overnight, felt the wrath of Shishido Hills when he fell to a round of seven-over-par 77 on day two and a total of five-over 145.
Jones and Laycock were the only Australians to survive the halfway cut, which came at six-over 146. Craig Parry and Steve Conran were two shots adrift, while Chris Campbell missed comfortably. Wayne Perske, who suffered the recurrence of a bulging disk in his back, was forced to withdraw after nine holes today.
The UBS Japan Golf Tour Championship is being played over the par-70, 7,214-yard West Course at Shishido Hills Country Club, located about 100 kilometres northeast of Tokyo, and offers a prize purse of ¥150 million (about AUD$1.5 million).
