Jordan Spieth
(Golfweek Photo)
ROSE BAY, Australia (November 15, 2016) --
Tournament director Trevor Herden has broken
something of a tradition by putting Australia's world-
beating amateurs into marquee groups for this week's
Emirates Australian Open.
In announcing some of the big-name groups for the
first and second rounds today, Herden said he had full
confidence red-hot Australian youngsters Curtis Luck
and Brett Coletta and Scotland's Australian Amateur
champion Connor Syme would more than hold their
own.
"I think it’s time," Herden said.
"In the past, they haven’t been too keen to put
some of these amateur players with the leading players,
but there seems to be a new wave of calmness with
some of these new young amateur guys.
"I think they’re more ready than what they were
say, five, six, seven years ago and we’ve got a good
group of them, so I haven’t got any problems with that
now.
"They’re playing more and more pro events, which
they’re getting used to that mood and the feeling,
playing with the top pros.
"They’re ready for it ... they’re all keen to play in
these big groups."
Herden has placed Syme alongside dual Open
winners Robert Allenby and Peter Lonard off the 10th
tee on Thursday morning at 7 a.m.
Luck has been scheduled to play alongside world
No.5 and 2015 Masters champion Jordan Spieth and
another major winner in Geoff Ogilvy in the following
group.
Coletta has been scheduled alongside recent US
PGA Tour winner Rod Pampling and boom Queensland
pro Cam Smith at midday off the first tee.
"I spoke to Curtis. Curtis was quite excited. He did
an interview after the Asian Amateur and wanted to
actually play with Jordan because he wanted to get in
his head about Augusta," said Herden, who praised the
youngsters' readiness for the big stage.
"They’re very well prepared now through Golf
Australia’s high performance system and they’re ready
to play.
"When they step out there now they’re very much a
different group of people than what they were five, six,
seven years ago; they’re ready."
Marquee Pairings:
Hole 10
7:00 a.m.-Robert Allenby, Peter Lonard,
Connor
Syme (a)
7:10 a.m.-Jordan Spieth, Geoff Ogilvy,
Curtis Luck
(a)
7:20 a.m.-Richard Green, Mathew Goggin, Greg
Chalmers
Hole 1
12:00 p.m.-Rod Pampling, Cameron Smith,
Brett
Coletta (a)
12:10 p.m.-Adam Scott, Aaron Baddeley, Jhonattan
Vegas
12:20 p.m.-John Senden, Peter Senior, Stephen Allan
ABOUT THE Australian Open
The Australian Open is Golf Australia's National Open
Men's Championship, and is sanctioned by the
Australian
PGA Tour and forms part of the ONEASIA series of
events. Many of Australia's top amateurs qualify for
the
event.
View Complete Tournament Information