Guyatt a surprise Masters leader

Updated November 15, 2012 20:37:30

Queensland journeyman Matthew Guyatt upstaged favourites Adam Scott and Ian Poulter to lead both by two shots after a blistering finish to his opening round in the Australian Masters at Melbourne's Kingston Heath.

The 37-year-old's putter ran hot as he nabbed three birdies in his closing four holes and eight overall, along with one bogey, to card a 7-under-par 65 on Thursday afternoon.

Australia's top-ranked player Scott shot a 5-under 67 in the morning and in-form English defending champion Poulter matched that in the afternoon to be tied for second with New Zealander Michael Hendry.

Guyatt, who spent 1999 and 2000 on the professional circuit before dropping out, said it was only a chance meeting at a pro-am in 2010 with a man who has become his benefactor that he was able to return to the tour.

In the intervening time he married and had three children, now aged eight to three, and became a teaching professional at Brisbane's Indooroopilly Golf Club.

He said with a mortgage and three kids, he could not have given up the financial security of that job without the support of the benefactor, a fellow Christian who wished to remain anonymous.

With a win in last year's New South Wales PGA Championship his biggest tour victory to date, he admitted he was unsure how he would handle leading the likes of Scott and Poulter.

"I've never been in this position before so I'll tell you tomorrow," he told reporters.

"It's what you do all your hard work and your practice for.

"We all know it takes four good days to win the tournament, especially against the calibre of those guys."

Earlier, initial frustrations with the putter kept Scott to even par on his opening nine holes, before a run of four straight birdies, including one from a huge putt on the par-four second (Scott's 11th) energised his round.

While Scott felt nine or 10-under might have been possible in the benign conditions, he was happy enough.

"I'm on my way," he said.

Poulter, surprised to find such conducive scoring conditions in the afternoon, knew nothing of Guyatt but refused to look ahead to a potential weekend showdown with Scott.

"It's Thursday. There's 120 players, not two," he said.

Of other big names, 2010 champion Stuart Appleby dropped three shots in his last two holes to finish 1-under-par, a score shared by Irish 2010 US Open champion Graeme McDowell, while two-time champion Robert Allenby shot even par.

AAP

Tags: sport, golf, melbourne-3000

First posted November 15, 2012 12:46:53

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Chalmers and Tiger chasing leader in Malaysia

Updated October 26, 2012 22:04:48

Australia's Greg Chalmers is four shots off leader Robert Garrigus at the halfway stage of the Malaysia Open, with Tiger Woods lurking a shot further back.

Chalmers hit his second consecutive 66 to keep him within striking distance of the American leader who holds a three-shot lead at 14-under-par.

Woods mixed slices off the tee and errant putts with great escapes and a memorable chip-in, in a rollercoaster round of 67 watched by hundreds of loyal fans at the par-71 Mines Resort and Golf Club in Kuala Lumpur.

A day after raising the prospect of a 59 at the venue, softened by Malaysia's regular heavy rain, Woods was overshadowed by playing partner Jbe Kruger, who ignored the crowds and heat for 64 and second place, two off the leader.

America's Garrigus carded his second 64 in a row for 14-under-par 128, raising hopes of only his second ever US PGA Tour win, with a low-scoring weekend in prospect at the no-cut, 48-man event with a US$6.1 million purse.

Kruger was alone in second with Chalmers and Troy Matteson, the overnight leader, two shots further back. Woods, Brendon de Jonge and Kevin Na were grouped on nine under par.

"It's wet, it's a little bit muddy. It (low scoring) can be had out there, guys are shooting good scores, a bunch of 65s and lower today," Woods said.

"It's going to take a really low total (to win). I've just to get after it tomorrow so at least I'll have a chance on Sunday."

Woods had headed straight for a cold shower after sauna conditions in round one, but if he thought Thursday was hot, Friday was a furnace.

"That's one of the hard things. You've got to just somehow suck it up and do it," he said of the heat, forecast to again hit 32 degrees Celsius over the weekend.

"It was bothering everybody I think. It's hot out there and humid... There's just no wind here. It's just so still and heavy."

With sweat dripping from his head as early as the second tee, Woods mirrored his first day by opening with two pars and then birdying the par-five third, where a 12-foot eagle putt went begging.

Drama struck on the fourth hole as Woods sliced his tee-shot into trees and then watched as his recovery attempt lodged at the bottom of a steep, muddy, lakeside bank just inches from water by the green.

But in a tough escape, Woods took a difficult stance and hacked the ball, along with clods of mud, onto the green and two-putted from 20 feet for bogey.

Woods drained a 12-foot birdie putt on the next hole, and missed an 18-foot opportunity on the sixth -- but holed a memorable chip for birdie on the par-three seventh.

A birdie on 11 gave him a share of fourth, and he seemed to have conjured more heroics after another sliced tee-shot put him into undergrowth on a steep slope on the par-four 12th.

Woods grabbed his fairway iron and blasted to near the green, and then chipped to four feet -- but watched in frustration as the short par putt rolled just wide.

Meanwhile, round partner Kruger, who had seized the joint lead with a run of six birdies, also bogeyed 12, but then the South African hit back with birdies on 13 and 17.

Woods made a six-foot save on the 14th, and he surged back up the leaderboard at the 15th, where a 20-yard eagle chip bounced out of the cup and left him with a simple three-footer for birdie.

Another birdie on the par-five 17th, and a missed eight-foot attempt at the last, left him five shots off Garrigus, whose lead was slashed by a disappointing bogey on the final hole.

"I'm two shots ahead of the field right now. That means nothing," Garrigus said. "I'll probably be tied for the lead or behind before I get on the tee box tomorrow. That happens a lot.

"I've just got to go out and have fun, enjoy it and see what happens."

AFP

Tags: sport, golf, malaysia

First posted October 26, 2012 22:04:48

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Korean Ryu early leader in Ladies Masters

Updated February 02, 2012 11:05:09

Korean So Yeon Ryu has surged to the lead on 3-under early on the opening day of the Australian Ladies Masters at Royal Pines on the Gold Coast.

The reigning US Open champion has a one-shot lead over American Stacy Lewis through six holes with 15 players a shot further back at 1-under-par.

Britain's former world number one Laura Davies birdied her first two holes to be the early leader before slipping back.

The course has been softened by more rain overnight rain, setting the scene for a day of low scoring.

Plenty of attention will also be on teenagers Lexie Thompson from the US and 14 year-old New Zealander Lydia Ko who have been paired together along with Australian hope Kristie Smith.

Thompson is the early favourite to take the honours from Ko who made history last weekend as the youngest player to win a professional golf tournament.

Saturday, February 4 - 2.00pm*

Sunday, February 5 - 1.00pm*

* LIVE in the eastern daylight saving states of NSW, ACT, Victoria & Tasmania.

AAP

Tags: golf, sport, benowa-4217, qld, australia

First posted February 02, 2012 10:06:08

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