Jordan Spieth ensured that he ended the 2016 season on a high after winning the Australian Open for the second time following a three-man play off at Royal Sydney Golf Club.
The American sank a 10-foot putt for birdie on the first extra hole to scupper the dreams of local hopes Cameron Smith and Ashley Hall.
The trio all finished the championship on 12 under par, with Spieth draining a nerve-wracking six-foot putt on the last just to make the sudden-death playoff in a closing 69. Then, in a dramatic climax, Spieth put his approach to 10 feet on the first hole of the playoff – the 18th – before Hall knocked his to less than six feet.
Displaying all the cool and class that helped him land last year’s Masters and US Open crowns, 23-year-old Spieth again buried his clutch putt before Hall pushed his birdie attempt right of the cup.
Spieth’s victory follows his win at the same event in 2014, and his runner-up showing last year. His victory is also a hug boost for the tournament in 2017, with the world no.5 almost certain to return to again defend the trophy when the it moves back to The Australian.
In a major consolation for the joint runners-up, Smith and Hall secured starts at next year’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, as did two-time champion Aaron Baddeley, who finished in a five-way tie for fourth at 10 under par.
Baddeley closed with a one-under 71 and edged out Rod Pampling, Jason Scrivener, New Zealander Ryan Fox and third-round leader Geoff Ogilvy by virtue of his superior world ranking.
After starting the day with a two-stroke lead, Ogilvy looked the likely winner for much of the afternoon, before the former US Open champion unraveled with a bogey on the par-4 15th and a catastrophic double on the par-5 16th, where he found the trees off the tee, which saw him close with a one-over-par 73.
Talking after the win, Spieth said: “The way I played the playoff is going to do wonders for my confidence going forward. I’ve been in a little bit of stall hitting shots when they mattered, so to hit those two shots in there, right where I wanted to hit them, and then make the putt, is really big for me.”