Schwartzel Surges Clear

Defending champion Charl Schwartzel again looked the man to beat in the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek Country Club.

Former Masters Tournament champion Schwartzel won the tournament for the second time last year by an amazing 12 shots, a week after he won the Thailand Open by 11 strokes.

And although such a winning margin looked unlikely this time round, the 29 year old appeared in ominous form as the third round progressed.

Schwartzel started the day in a share of the lead with Denmark's Morten Ørum Madsen, a player he lost out to in a final-round battle for the South African Open Championship last week.

But while Madsen got off to a disappointing start with bogeys at the first two holes, Schwartzel birdied the par five second and then made a potentially decisive move around the turn.

A superb approach to the eighth left the South African with a tap-in birdie and another followed from six feet on the ninth to be out in 32.

Further birdies on the 12th and 13th took Schwartzel to 13 under par and a two shot lead over France's Victor Riu, who was six under for his round with two holes remaining.

England's Richard Finch was a shot further back on ten under, the same mark he had reached in the second round before finishing bogey, bogey, double-bogey.

Dermott Davitt scripts win at 21st Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup

Dubai: Irish journalist Dermott Davitt was crowned champion with a total of 78 stableford points at the end of the 21st Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup held over two days at the Faldo course of the Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Creek golf course last weekend.

“It has been a wonderful couple of days and I would like to say a huge thank you to Dubai Duty Free for looking after us so well once again,” said Davitt. “This event really is the highlight of the year for everyone in our industry. I have been coming to Dubai to play in the DDF Golf World Cup for 15 years and I am extremely proud to have won.”

More than 100 specially invited guests from all over the world battled it out over 36 holes over two days and the Irishman finished one point ahead of Dubai Creek member Michael McGinley, whose 77 over two rounds included 42 points at the Faldo.

It was a major performance from McGinley, who is a scratch handicapper, as his gross 66 included two eagles. The runner-up in the gents category was Antoine Breen with 75 points and the second runner-up prize went to Nick Midwood, who had 71 points.

www.golfbytourmiss.com Wins Major Award At Australian Golf Writers Dinner.

www.golfbytourmiss.com has won one of the major awards at this year’s Australian Golf Writers Association (AGWA) annual dinner.

Masters champion, Adam Scott wore the famed Augusta National green jacket to the dinner that was also attended by fellow Major winner Geoff Olilvy and 1993 Women’s British Open winner, Karen Lunn.

The AGWA presented www.golfbytourmiss.com with the award for ‘Best Internet Story’  and our coverage of Scott’s Masters triumph.

And a bit thank you to all our readers for your continued support.

Clayton: 17th the perfect stage for summer finale

It is hard to think of a more demanding par three in Australia than the 200 metre 17th hole at Royal Sydney.

At the 1969 Australian Open a heaving southerly hit the course just as the leader, Gary Player arrived on the tee. So heavy was the wind that Player needed an eight iron for his second shot. Almost forty years later at the 2006 Open John Senden came to the 17th needing a three to keep alive his chance of beating the reigning US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy.

The Queenslander hit one of the great shots, a middle iron to within a metre of the hole, made the two and then knocked another brilliant iron next to the cup at the home hole.

The other memorable shot at the 17th was Aaron Baddeley’s two iron into the middle of the upturned (it has since been rebuilt) green securing his win over Colin Montgomerie and Greg Norman.

Into the south wind on Saturday the majority seemed to miss on the right, either in the gaping bunkers or wide of them. To miss on the left, a side defended by a steep bank covered not with long grass in the fashion of the American tour but the much more effective hazard that is short grass is to make saving three difficult in the extreme.

When the wind is from the south the finish at Royal Sydney is far from onerous as the 14th, 15th, 16th and 18th are all played with the wind behind. Only the 17th is left to test the play with a long iron and few holes test that skill as well.

Ryan Ruffels, 15 and one of the more interesting stories this week came to the 17th having birdied the 16th to be six under par for the round and the championship. He blew a weak hybrid to the right and into a bush and from there he was lucky to make a five and a possible 66 finished up as 68. Still, it was a terrific round and the 17th hole will add to his education this week and send him back to Melbourne with something to work on.

The great Scottish designer Alister MacKenzie championed the building of holes and shots that stimulated players to improve their games and here was a hole adding to a young man’s education.

We hear so much of the cliché ‘make the course playable for everybody’ yet many draw that out to mean every shot on the course should be playable for all, even the least competent players. Yet so many of the best holes in Australia and the world feature shots that are far beyond the capabilities of the average player. The great 15th at Kingston Heath with its yawning left bunker comes to mind and in Scotland there is no harder bunker shot that the one from the Road Hole bunker at St Andrews. MacKenzie would be the first to suggest that far from being unfair they were indeed doing their job of inspiring the diligent to learn a new shot.

The last group or Adam Scott and Rory McIlroy came to the 17th in the final group and despite both missing the green they saved their pars with neat chips and putts.

McIlroy was inside Scott at the final green after a beautiful pitch but Scott holed and McIlroy missed leaving the local hero four shots ahead. That exchange was of real significance. Had it gone the other way a two shot lead could have been wiped out in a couple of holes. Giving four shots to a man in Scott’s form is clearly much more problematic for McIlroy.

The Ulsterman is one of the few capable of shooting eight or nine under par around Royal Sydney on a final championship Sunday and he will need something approaching those numbers assuming Scott’s recent form continues for one more day. Perhaps the 17th will have a say in the outcome but more likely it will be the stage for one last great shot by Scott and a final memory of a month of golf few who have seen it will forget.

Stone: The Scotty and Rory Show

So much anticipation was in the air at Royal Sydney today when curtain rose on the Scotty and Rory Show.

Would we see the theatrical drama of so many great golfing rivalries of days gone by in as these two gentlemen of the game went head-to-head?

The crowd was massive stretching six and seven deep down the right-hand side of the fairway of the short par four – there was no spectator access on the left through the scrub – and golf fans were still pouring into the course.

Jack Nicklaus once described the Australian Open Championship as the fifth major of the world, and the names on the Stonehaven Cup are among the most legendary in golf.

One suspects the Golden Bear only made the comment for local consumption – a little flattery never goes astray – but our Open is of historical importance as it is the fifth oldest championship behind The Open, US Open, South African Open and the Canadian Open that started in 1904 just a few months before our first Open.

There is no history of rivalry between Adam Scott, the world No 2, and the former world No 1 Rory McIlroy (now at No 6) for they’ve rarely been paired together, but maybe this would be the start of a long head-to-head rivalry between two of the best ball strikers in the game.

And, what a glorious afternoon Sydney turned on after the squally rain and wind of the previous afternoon – and our appetite was whetted even more when they both birdied the 274-metres opening hole.

But, after the pleasantries and shake of the hands between the pair on the first tee, it was down to business. Scott’s caddie Steve Williams who was on the bag for 13 of Tiger Woods’ 14 majors strode purposively ahead of the boss to get his yardages to consult with Scott on his arrival.

It’s understood Scott’s former caddie, the very likeable Tony Navarro, did all the yardages for Scott in his time on the bag, but when Williams joined Scott he insisted he too carried a yardage book to give a second opinion.

The contribution of Williams in Scott’s resurrection to heights we always felt he was capable of cannot under-estimated. He has become the 15th club in Scott’s bag.

On the greens, when not holding the flag, Williams prowls around the green looking for a white spot on the front nine and a yellow spot on the back nine placed by rules officials as the intended pin placements for the following day. He scribbles in his yardage book.

The keen-eyed armchair watcher would have spotted Williams sprint across the back of the green on the 14th in the final round of the World Cup to watch Scott’s bunker shot race across the green and past the flag to role down a swale at the back.

He wanted to see the line of the next shot Scott would play.

Many wonder how Scott will fare when the Royal & Ancient/USGA anchoring of putters, but maybe his biggest problem to sort is a replacement for Williams who has indicated he’ll become a part-time caddie from 2015.

But, after they traded birdies on the opening hole, an anti-climax loomed on the clear horizon. McIlroy’s drive on the par five second into the scrub while Scott hit a beauty that split the fairway beyond the vision of the near-sighted.

“Good shot, Adam,” he said as walked off in search of his ball that, fortunately, had been found by one of the many re-shirted volunteer marshals spread around the Royal Sydney layout.

The Ulsterman managed to get club-head on the ball to pitch it out sideways while Scott hit a majestic wood that momentarily found the par five green before rolling over the back.

Mcilroy showed his class by manufacturing par while Scott failed to get up and down for birdie from the back. Hole halved.

Would it become a match play scenario where both players were so intent on watching each other with no concern for others who might challenge?

One of the great rivalries of golf was that of Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. Palmer was the king whose sheer magnetism drew the masses while, in the early days, Nicklaus was the fat guy with the crew cut who interfered with Palmer’s love affair with the American public.

No one likes their love making interrupted, especially by a fat guy. Fans would stand behind bunkers with signs: “In here fat Jack.” Call it public sledging.

So often they came together at the tail of the field and, while there were some classic confrontations, there were other that were duds as they watched each other like cat and mouse with neither at the centre of the podium at the finish.

The great rivalries go back in the history of golf – the great triumvirate of Vardon, Taylor and Braid before the turn of the 20th century, the remarkable amateur Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen, Ben Hogan and Sam Snead, the Palmer/Nicklaus duo with Gary Player joining the party, and then the Nicklaus/Trevino/Watson era and, then, of course we had Nick Faldo and Greg Norman.

There were a couple of classics, and both times the Englishman triumphed. They teed off together for the third round of the 1990 Open Championship at St Andrews tied at the top with Norman having complied a pair of 66s while Faldo began 67-65. Faldo blew the Shark away with a third round 67 to Norman’s 76.

We all know what happened in the 1996 US Masters; Scott admits to crying his eyes out while watching on TV as a kid.

When a fledgling rivalry between Scotty and Rory looked to have fizzled, the golfing gods smiled, while the players did their bit as well to have Golf Australia beaming and reckoning there will be record crowds tomorrow.

McIlroy, rallied. He was two over for the day after just six holes, but finished with a two under 70 while Scott carded a 68. There is four shots between them coming into tomorrow’s final round – and they’ll be in the company of each other once more.

Scott needs at 68 to go into the history books as the low winning Open score at Royal Sydney. Mark Calcavecchia, who won here in 1988, finished 19-under the card and the record for the Open itself in 24-under by Gary Player in the 1965 at Adelaide’s Kooyonga layout, so he needs a 63 to remove Player from the record books.

Late this afternoon, Scott revealed the green jacket for the first time in Sydney when he spoke with corporate types in the Emirates marquee and then went out side to sign autographs for those fans still remaining at the course.

Tonight, the jacket will get another airing when he is the guest of honour at the annual Australian Golf Writers Association dinner where he will be handed a plaque as our 2013 honoree of the year.

What other choice was there.

Huggan: Two down, one to go for Adam

How deliciously appropriate. On St. Andrews Day, a Scot(t) leads the Australian Open. Which is not so surprising either, of course. For the last four weeks, Adam Scott has dominated golf and headlines in his homeland in a manner unheard of since Greg Norman enjoyed his considerable pomp. And tomorrow the newly-anointed Aussie PGA and Masters champion will go for his third win from the four – only the World Cup of Golf eluded him - a feat that would successfully complete the Aussie “Triple Crown” only Robert Allenby (in 2005) has annexed in a single season.

Should it happen and the gifted Scott does secure his national Open title for the second time in three years, it will represent an enormously impressive feat, even for a reigning major champion who doubles as the second-ranked player on the planet. Nothing is certain though. Adrenaline is undoubtedly a powerful fuel, but both physically and especially mentally, the 33-year old Queenslander must surely be close to running on empty.

So this thing isn’t over. Not yet. Competitive golf is always a stressful business for all concerned, but playing with the pressure to win is doubly so. Throw in the expectancy of an adoring nation and the psychological challenge is the most potent barrier to Scott’s eventual success, never mind the not insignificant matter of seeing off his nearest challenger, former US Open and PGA champion, Rory McIlroy, in the process. All in all, the final 18-holes are unlikely to represent an easy ride.

Not surprisingly, however, Scott was making positive noises in the wake of his third round 68. And why not - the four-short edge he enjoys over McIlroy is an obvious asset, as is the support of an ever-growing gallery eager to hail a homegrown champion.

“It’s an exciting position to be in,” he said. “The crowds have been fantastic. It’s nice to see everyone so excited about watching Rory. It’s been an incredible month for the game down here. There’s so much positive to look forward to.

“Speaking of which, I obviously have a great chance to win tomorrow and clinch the Triple Crown. Which is unbelievable. If you had told me a month ago I’d be in this position I wouldn’t have believed you. Before this, I’d never won two events in a row, never mind three. But a lot can still happen. I’ve got a phenomenon behind me and he’ll throw a lot at me.

“I need to do a couple of things better tomorrow. My swing has felt a little off all week. I’ve missed a few fairways. So I need to figure that out. Chipping out from under trees I snot how you win tournaments on Sunday.”

Still, it is the obvious confidence he has in his much-improved technique that will make Scott hardest to catch. Even when (occasionally) out of position, his extended run of form understandably has him exuding a quiet air of totally assured confidence. Little or no encouragement is thus offered to opponents. In other words, McIlroy is going to have to go out and beat Scott; on current form, the leader isn’t likely to “beat himself.”

That fact was obvious on the last green, where Scott holed from maybe five feet for a closing birdie, then watched as McIlroy missed from a foot or so closer.

“That was huge,” said Scott. “If it had gone the other way I’d only be two-shots in front. Those can go in one hole. Four shots give me a bit of a buffer and means he has to do something special to catch me. I’ll sleep a little easier with that in mind.”

Schwartzel, Madsen share lead at Alfred Dunhill

MALELANE, South Africa — Charl Schwartzel and Morten Orum Madsen share the lead after two rounds at the European Tour's Alfred Dunhill Championship.

Defending champion Schwartzel shot a second straight 4-under 68 on Friday to join Madsen on 8-under 136 at Leopard Creek in northern South Africa.

Denmark's Madsen added a 71 to his opening-round 65 to stay on course for a second straight title. He overtook Schwartzel to win the South African Open on Sunday, the opening event on the tour's 2014 Race to Dubai.

England's Ross Fisher and another Dane, Soren Hansen, are tied for third and a shot behind the leaders heading into the weekend.

John Daly looked set to miss the cut in his second tournament back from elbow surgery after a 3-over 75.

Golfing brothers pair up to make history

While Adam Scott is chasing history, another Scott has already made it at Royal Sydney. Brothers Scott and Jamie Arnold became the first brothers to be paired together in the Australian Open in recent history. ''You couldn't write a better script,'' Scott said after posting a three under round of 69 to be seven under for the tournament into the final day. ''We used to play together as kids, but we haven't actually played together for years. He's been in America, I've been in Europe.

''It's been a really long time since we've actually played 18 holes together. To do it today is fantastic. That was one of the best rounds I've played - especially to have my brother there. I'm making plenty of birdies, so if I keep the mistakes off my card, hopefully tomorrow we can jump a few spots up there.'' It's difficult to tell if the brothers are the first to be paired together in the tournament's history. It's fair to say, if it has happened, it was long ago. In Saturday's third round, Jamie didn't have quite the success of his brother, posting a two over round of 74 to be two under overall. That script was written a day earlier when Canadian Ryan Yip dropped a shot on his final hole, pairing the brothers together on Saturday. ''I knew when I got home that we might have a chance … it's obviously special, and to have my mum and dad, my sister here, and a few mates, it was a really good day,'' Scott said. But brotherly sledging was kept to a minimum. ''Back in the amateur days, you wanted to try and beat each other, but the way we saw it this morning, we had to try and catch Adam (Scott) and Rory (McIlroy) - we couldn't worry about a little battle between us,'' Scott said.

HOLMAN A CUT ABOVE

Golfers are always craving consistency, so you've got to hand it to young Australian Nathan Holman, who has missed just one cut this year. ''You shouldn't be missing the cut,'' the 22-year-old said. ''I've had a great year in the professional events; probably had three or four top-10s, and another four top-20s. I've only finished outside the top-20 twice. I'm pretty happy with that.'' Holman is one of a posse of Australians hoping to make up some ground on Australian Open pacesetters Adam Scott and Rory McIlroy in Sunday's final round. Holman shot four under on Saturday to be seven under for the tournament. Importantly, though, he has positioned himself to potentially take one of three British Open spots up for grabs. ''I've got to try and put that in the back of my mind, and stick to the process,'' Holman said. ''But there's definitely a lot to play for. British Open qualifying, money list, all those sorts of things. I've put myself in a position where I can capitalise on it. The more times you can get in a position, the better you are. I've got another chance to get better at it.''

RUFFELS GETS RUFFLED

If Adam Scott is Australian golf's man of the moment, Ryan Ruffels is Australian golf's boy of the moment. After receiving significant media coverage this week, following his practice round with McIlroy - not to mention a 67 on Friday and a 68 on Saturday (leaving him four under for the tournament) he has become rather popular. ''I've gotten so many Facebook messages, Twitter messages, tagged in tweets, retweets,'' Ruffels said. ''Everything has been blowing up lately. After my round (on Friday), I had to turn off my phone for a couple of hours just to settle down and get away from it all. It's been awesome, the support that I've felt from my friends, my family, and everyone else.''

Jason Day says boy golfers are 'phenomenal'

It's not often you'll hear a 26-year-old start a sentence with ''back in my day'', but in golf it seems players are getting better at ever younger ages.

Jason Day probably felt a bit old on Saturday, despite carding a solid six under par 66 in the third round at the Australian Open. He talked about how tired he'd been on the first two days and how massage had helped loosen his rigid back. Meanwhile, there was a buzz about young amateurs, Ryan Ruffels, a 15-year-old who shot four under, Anthony Murdaca, 18, who blew away his veteran playing partner Robert Allenby with a 66 and West Australian Brady Watt, who began the day at two under.

It made Day ponder how much the game had changed in the very short time since he started out.

''They're training so hard these days,'' he said. ''Back in my day - that wasn't very long ago - the stuff these kids are doing now, I wasn't really doing.

''The teaching in Australia, the coaching here is phenomenal. And they're so much more exposed to the science of the game, the gym part, the mental part - there's so many different aspects that they train and work on. They're just getting better and better. They're hungry to play well.''

Day described Ruffels' 67 in challenging conditions on Friday as ''phenomenal''.

''I remember when I was 15, I wasn't ready to play in the Australian Open - let alone shoot five under yesterday and play good again today. It's very impressive to see a 15-year-old out there playing among the pros, among the best players in the world.

''It's not easy out there … To see amateurs and juniors go out there and play the way they've been playing … That's what we like to see, myself and Scotty [Adam Scott] and all the other guys out there. We don't want to see Australian golf slow down … we want to see the younger guys come through the ranks.

''It just goes to show where Australian golf is right now. It's moving in the right direction. We have a lot of good players.''

Scott leads McIlroy by 4 shots at Australian Open

SYDNEY (AP) Adam Scott shot a 4-under 68 Saturday to take a four-shot lead over Rory McIlroy heading into the final round of the Australian Open and move closer to a Australian triple crown.

Scott is trying to match Robert Allenby's 2005 accomplishment of winning the Open, Australian Masters and Australian PGA in succession. Scott won the Masters at Augusta in April.

Scott shot a course record 62 on the first day and followed with a second-round 70. Saturday's round of six birdies and two bogeys moved him to 16-under 200 for the tournament.

McIlroy started the day two shots behind Scott and lost ground with a bogey and double-bogey against five birdies, finishing with a 70. McIlroy is vying for his first victory of the year.

Rory McIlroy in pole position for Australian Open

Rory McIlroy shot a second-round 65 to give himself a chance of winning the first trophy of a forgettable year at the Emirates Australian Open.

The Northern Irishman will want to put 2013 to bed after an alarming loss of form cost him the world number one spot, but he could at least end it on a high.

He trails home favourite Adam Scott by two shots at the midway point at the Royal Sydney Golf club after a fine round which contained nine birdies.

The overall leaderboard was also affected by Scott failing to seriously follow up his course-record 62 from day one, but McIlroy will not worry about that.

He may well kick himself about a 17th-hole bogey but the fact that he recovered to birdie the last suggests he is in good shape.

“When you see someone like that (Scott) at the top of the leaderboard already with a low score, it’s tough not to think about it,” McIlroy told the tournament’s official website at the end of his round.

“It’s tough not to sort of press the issue and try and make birdies to catch up with them right away but golf tournaments are long, they’re four days, 72 holes and there’s a lot of time to chip away at those leads.”

McIlroy’s bad year has been well covered but he insists he has long felt back on track.

“I feel like I’m playing well. I’m hitting the ball well off the tee and giving myself plenty of chances. It was good to see a few more putts go in today,” he added.

“As I’ve said for the last few weeks, the game is feeling much better and I’m much more comfortable with it.”

Scott was always unlikely to match his brilliant opening-day score, but he could have wished for a more consistent round.

Gunning for the ‘Aussie treble’ of this tournament to go alongside his Australian PGA and Australian Masters titles, Scott signed for seven birdies, three bogeys and one double-bogey on an up and down afternoon.

In close attendance at the top of the leaderboard is Richard Green who rests on nine under par overall, with Friday’s round of 66 including a hole-in-one on the sixth.

“That shot on the par-three sixth today was a flush golf shot. It’s nice to build a bit of confidence from hitting good shots again,” said Green.

“I love coming to Royal Sydney. It’s my favourite course up here. I’ve done well here before. It fits my game, how far I hit the golf ball at least.”

Matthew Jones trails by a shot in fourth, with four more players on six under, among them amateur Bradley Watt.

Scott secures Aussie Order of Merit

Adam Scott can do no wrong at the moment as the world number two has wrapped up the PGA Tour of Australasia's Order of Merit title.

Although there are still two rounds left in the Australian Open, Scott can no longer be caught as he is now Aus$68,557 ahead of his nearest challenger, Korean-born Jin Jeong.

While Scott leads the event by two shots ahead of the weekend, Australian-based Jeong missed the cut after rounds of 73 and 76, handing the title to the Masters winner, who also won the Australian PGA Championship and Australian Masters earlier this month.

"I won the Order of Merit in 2005 so it's nice to again finish the year as Australasian Tour number one even though it has not been quite a year-long season down here in Australia for me," said Scott.

"It's also not the same as finishing the PGA Tour as number one or winning the European Tour Order of Merit but then it still is something you have got to achieve and one day I will sit down and look back on all the achievements and accolades and feel proud of all that I have done.

"But then the icing on the cake this year would be to win the Triple Crown and that still remains the big goal this week."

Adam Scott leads Rory McIlroy by 2

SYDNEY -- Adam Scott held a two-shot advantage over Rory McIlroy as the Australian Open's star players moved to the top of the leaderboard at Royal Sydney on Friday.

Scott shot 2-under-par 70 for a two-round total of 12-under 132. McIlroy, playing in the morning and avoiding the rain and storms that later hit the course, had a 65.

Scott and McIlroy will play together on Saturday in the third round.

"It was always going to be a day where you just had to hang on," Scott said of the tough conditions. "He (McIlroy) is one of the best players in the world so I'm going to have to bring my best game."

Australian Richard Green shot 66 and was three strokes behind Scott, who is trying to add the Australian Open to his Australian PGA and Australian Masters titles to become the second player after Robert Allenby in 2005 to capture the Triple Crown of Australian majors.

McIlroy felt lucky to have escaped the worsening conditions.

"The weather wasn't as bad as we thought it was going to be and the wind didn't pick up," he said. "So I knew we could take advantage of that, and the greens were a little bit softer as well."

Defending champion Peter Senior had an 81 Friday and did not make the cut.

Kevin Streelman, who played with Matt Kuchar in the American team at last week's World Cup, retired on the fourth hole due to an eye infection. Playing for the first time in Australia, he was later taken to hospital for treatment.

Streelman, playing with Scott and Jason Day, shot 70 in the opening round Thursday and began Friday's round with a birdie.

But as his eye condition worsened, he had a 5 on the par-3 third and a bogey on the par-4 fourth before deciding to retire.

"It's pretty rough right now but we'll see what we can do," Streelman said. "The doctor said it was pretty badly infected.

"I've been trying to do some drops but I started getting dizzy and it's the first time I've ever (withdrawn) at a tournament ... I'm really sad to do it."

Streelman won the PGA Tour's Tampa Bay Championship in March and finished second with Kuchar behind Day and Scott in the team event at the World Cup at Royal Melbourne.

Australian Open: Rory McIlroy still driven to reach the top again

RORY McIlroy is driving as well as ever but his putting has let him down in the Australian Open at Royal Sydney.

The world number six's problems since changing his equipment this year have been well documented and he arrived in Sydney this week still searching for his first title of 2013.

After home favourite Adam Scott's brilliant opening round – a record-breaking 10 under par 62, seven ahead of the Ulsterman – McIlroy's chances of success in Australia already appear remote, and the Holywood star was left ruing four missed short putts that could have made a huge difference to his score.

"Missed three or four short ones out there," he said. "Wasteful, yeah. I felt it could have been a lot lower.

"Off the tee, I'm driving the ball the best I ever have, it's just a matter of being more efficient and scoring better.

"That's really it. I only played the par-fives at one-under and the way I'm driving it, I should be playing those at four-under," he said.

A missed birdie putt at the seventh and three-putt from the edge of the green at the 16th were the most obvious wasted opportunities, while a pair of bogeys shortly after the turn halted his momentum after a solid front nine.

"I got the most out of it, especially after bogeys on 10 and 11, so to get in the 60s was decent," he said.

"It was nice to finish with a birdie at the last, makes up a little bit for not making birdie at 16," he added.

McIlroy felt conditions may have been a little trickier for the late starters after US Masters champion Scott had posted his stunning round early on.

"The wind might have got up for us a little bit this afternoon but still 62 on that course is great going," McIlroy added.

"When I was sitting over breakfast, I saw he'd birdied the first six holes and thought, 'oh nice'."

Scott has had an incredible year, following up his Augusta triumph with a win at the Barclay's and claiming the Australian PGA and Masters title before helping Jason Day win the World Cup of Golf for his country last weekend.

For McIlroy, it was a reminder of his 2012 season when he became world number one and won the US PGA and a string of other tournaments.

"He's doing what I did last year and (world number three Henrik) Stenson's doing the same thing," the 24-year-old said.

"I've been in that position before, I know what it's like. That's what I'm trying to get back to."

Scott, meanwhile, rated his course-record round as one of his best ever – but maintained that his picture-perfect swing was not quite where he wanted it to be.

The world number two lost his rhythm midway through his round and had to settle for eight straight pars.

He bounced back with a superb tee shot on the par-three sixth and sunk the short putt, however, to spark another run of four straight birdies and smash the previous course record by three shots.

"I can't sit here and complain about anything but, a bit like last week in the first round, the swing wanders on a couple of shots and it did it again," Scott said. "It's not quite in the slot. It's not as free-flowing as the first couple of weeks (at the Australian PGA Championship and Australian Masters)."

Scott, looking to become the second man to win Australia's Triple Crown in a single season, led little-known Canadian Ryan Yip and American John Young Kim by three shots heading into round two after the pair posted classy 65s.

Meanwhile, Ballyclare's Gareth Maybin is just four shots adrift of leader Morten Orum Madsen after the opening day of the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek in South Africa.

Maybin's three-under-par 69 left him sharing eighth, four behind the Dane who bagged his first European Tour win at last week's South African Open.

Belfast's Michael Hoey shot a 76 after suffering a double bogey and two other dropped shots in his last five holes.

Defending champion Charl Schwartzel, the former Masters winner, is on four under.

Madsen said: "It seemed easy but it definitely wasn't, it was pretty tough out there and the course was playing long with the wind."

McIlroy Within Reach of the Lead in Sydney

With a mere four weeks to go until the end of 2013, Rory McIlroy is currently still in the running for his first win of the year at the Australian Open in Sydney.

McIlroy shot 65 in the second round, closing the gap between him and day one leader Australian Adam Scott.

Scott, who is hoping to win the Australian Triple Crown, after winning the Australian PGA and the Australian Masters earlier this month, broke the course record by three shots with his first round 62, but was marginally less impressive on day two, delivering a 2-under round of 70.

Weather conditions had been predicted to worsen, but the promised wind held off as McIlroy hit nine birdies and two bogeys on the way to his 7-under-par round which left him in second place on the leaderboard at 10-under.

"The weather wasn't as bad as we thought it was going to be and the wind didn't pick up, so I knew we could take advantage of that, and the greens were a little bit softer as well," McIlroy told Golf Magic.

"As 7-unders go, I think it was a pretty comfortable one. I don't think I did anything really spectacular out there.

"It feels good, I played well, putted much better today than I did yesterday too, so that was a big positive. I'm in a great position going into the weekend."

However the weather did start to take its toll when Scott took to the Royal Sydney course later in the day, and the Australian battled to a 2-under-par 70 that included seven birdies, three bogeys and a double-bogey.

"It was a tough afternoon, plenty of good stuff in there but made a few mistakes in the tricky conditions," Scott said.

"At times, it was extremely difficult and I think I held it together pretty well.

"I made lots of birdies but bogeys were easy to come by if you were just slightly off and probably most scorecards would have looked similar this afternoon.

"It was always going to be a day where you just had to hang on. Rory is one of the best players in the world so I'm going to have to bring my best game."

World Cup of Golf winner Jason Day also struggled with the wind, managing a 2-over-par 74, while Australians Richard Green (9-under) and Matthew Jones (8-under) occupy third and fourth place on the leaderboard.

American Kevin Streelman who won his first PGA title at the Tampa Bay Championship in March, had to withdraw from the competition after just four holes after suffering a scratch to his cornea, and is now awaiting advice as to whether he will be able to play in next week’s Nedbank Challenge in South Africa.

Mclroy supports Open changes

SYDNEY: Double Major winning Rory McIlroy may have no concern for some time in being exempt into golf's oldest major but it hasn't stopped him lending his support to the new British Open Championship Qualifying Series.

The famed Claret Jug has been on display all week on the first tee of this week's Australian Open host course at Royal Sydney.

The R&A has abandoned a series of 36-hole International Final Qualifiers around the globe and instead selected four national open's (Australian, Irish, French and Scottish) plus a number of other events including two on the PGA Tour where players can now gain entry into the Open Championship through a 72-hole tournament.

The 2013 Australian Open is the first of the new Qualifiers and with the top three place-getters inside the top-10 at the close of the event, and not otherwise exempt, will earn a place in next year's Open Championship at Hoylake.

"It's a great new idea and a much better opportunity for players to try and qualify for The Open," said McIlroy after moving to within two shots of the lead on the second day of the Australian Open.

"Staging a 36-hole qualifier, as the R&A has been doing for a few years now, on the Monday ahead of a regular tournament is not the ideal preparation heading into a tournament like the Irish Open, so to merge qualifying into a 72-hole event makes more sense.

"It's a lot fairer system I feel and also to have three spots available into The Open in events such as the Irish Open is a huge lift for those competing."

McIlroy is not only looking for a first success this season but if triumphant in Sydney he will be only the second European to lift the Stonehaven Trophy.

Let's not get hysterical over Rory McIlroy's Ashes remark

Let's get a bit of perspective going here. When Rory uttered the remark, it was at a Press conference. In Sydney, Australia. A few days after a crushing Ashes victory for the Aussies over their old enemy.

It was clearly delivered tongue-in-cheek too, McIlroy well aware of his audience as he prepared for the Australian Open.

And you'd hardly expect him, a (Northern) Irishman, to root for England in that environment, would you?

He still said it, though. He still used those words: "anyone but England" when asked about who he wanted to win the series.

He's Rory McIlroy ABE from now on. Perhaps he should have had a natter with Andy Murray, who was vilified for nearly six years after uttering the same three words prior to the football World Cup in 2006.

Murray has since redeemed himself courtesy of two Grand Slam titles which have helped him evolve into a 'national treasure'.

Still, our boy is unlikely to trouble the late Tony Greig as author of one of the most ill-judged sports quotes in history.

Prior to the England's First Test against the West Indies in 1976, Greig said this of the visitors: "If they're down, they grovel, and I intend, with the help of Closey (England team-mate Brian Close) and a few others, to make them grovel".

Given Greig's white South African roots, this was hardly the cleverest thing he'd ever said.

It's history now that Greig's England were subsequently blown away by the Windies' battery of fast bowlers, and suffered a crushing 3-0 series defeat.

Within nine months Greig had thrown his lot in with Aussie tycoon Kerry Packer and was stripped of the England captaincy. A chance remark had ultimately bought no chance of redemption.

Golf course hit by 40k vandalism spree

A VANDAL used a car to carve deep scars into a golf course in Linlithgow, causing up to £40,000 worth of damage.

The driver targeted two of West Lothian Golf Club's putting greens and at one stage was only a few yards from certain death as one of the holes had a 100-foot drop alongside it.

The joyrider first drove on the golf course on November 18 but returned the next night to cause further damage to the par-71 course, which was designed by two-time Open Champion Willie Park Jnr.

The PGA professional at the course, Alan Reid, suggested that it may have been the work of a "disgruntled member".

“The person had to know the golf course layout to do what they did. No-one can fathom what has happened because it’s totally malicious and carried out over two nights," he said.

“There can be no justification for this type of action that is sheer vandalism which has scarred the course and could potentially end up costing as much as £40,000.

“We have had to re-turf the greens which has a cost involved but because of the time of year we won’t know the full extent of the damage until May.” 

Alan Gibson, general manager of West Lothian Golf Club, added: “It’s members’ hard-earned cash that goes into maintaining the greens and for someone to come along and cause so much damage within a few minutes is pretty soul-destroying for the members but also the green staff.

“We have never had anything quite as bad before – we have had stolen cars driving over the course that end up a burned-out wreck. But this is someone that knows the course. It’s 
sickening.”

It's been a bad year for vandalism on golf courses with a 'Go to Hell' warning drawn on one golf club's green, holes dug in another, and vandals using motorbikes to carve up the course at Moss Valley.

The weird, wild and wacky in golf this year

With respect and homage to the good folks at Esquire and their annual Dubious Achievement Awards, allow us to present some out-of-the-ordinary moments in the golf world in 2013.

Maybe he meant to say ‘dentally’

After walking off the course while playing the ninth hole of his second round in the Honda Classic, Rory McIlroy told reporters, “I’m not in a good place mentally.” He later listed his reason for withdrawal as a sore wisdom tooth.

He thought he’d heard it takes big tentacles to win the U.S. Open

In contention at Merion, Billy Horschel showed up for the final round wearing navy trousers with large white octopi plastered all over them.

He must be nuts

During the first day of the Presidents Cup, assistant captain Davis Love III befriended a squirrel later named Sammy, keeping him in his pocket throughout the day.

She must be really nuts

Later that day, Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn placed Sammy on the unknowing shoulder of her boyfriend Tiger Woods, much to his immediate displeasure.

Hey, at least Sammy didn’t bite

Daniela Holmqvist used a tee to squeeze out venom from a spider bite during the Women’sustralian Open. “It wasn’t the prettiest thing I've ever done,” she confessed, “but I had to get as much of it out of me as possible.”

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That makes two of you

After hitting his tee shot on the final hole of the PGA Championship into a fan’s back pocket, Jonas Blixt said, “I’m just glad it didn’t plug.”

‘I don’t know what to do with my hands!’

The act of “Dufnering” became an Internet sensation when Jason Dufner was photographed sitting on his hands with a glazed-over look in his eyes while working with students in a Texas classroom.

Now this is ‘Dufnering’

When shock-jock radio host Howard Stern asked Jason Dufner about his post-PGA victory celebration with wife Amanda, the laid-back champion casually replied, “Yeah, I grabbed her butt.”

Or roughly the equivalent of two-and-a-half butts

In the same interview, Dufner revealed that the Wanamaker Trophy can hold exactly 43 beers.

Sheesh. Didn’t he learn anything as a kid?

Asked about his ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ handshake with partner Tiger Woods at the Presidents Cup, Matt Kuchar explained, “This guy was the perfect Carlton.” Great quote – except Woods was actually playing the part of DJ Jazzy Jeff in this celebration.

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So … last night then?

Ye Wocheng, a 12-year-old who qualified for the China Open, said, “I’ve dreamed of this since I was a boy.”

In his defense, autocorrect changed it from, ‘Don’t you linger out in the grass’

After Tiger Woods won the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Rory McIlroy sent him a congratulatory text message. In response, Woods texted that it was his turn to win, telling McIlroy, “Get your finger out of your a--.”

On the bright side, the locusts held off

Twenty-two different PGA Tour events were marred by weather delays during the 2013 season, including wind at Kapalua, snow in Tucson and flash-flooding at Bay Hill.

The figurative definition of grabbing a bite at the turn

Midway through her third round of the Women’s British Open, Jessica Korda fired caddie Jason Gilroyed. “I knew I needed a switch,” she said. “It just wasn’t working out.”

Orange you glad you don’t have to wear it again?

Blixt playfully dressed like playing partner Rickie Fowler for the final round of The Barclays, but the joke was on him. Blixt shot an 81 in the all-orange, too-tight get-up, then revealed his plans for the clothes afterward: “I was going to burn them.”

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And the rest of us immediately felt terrible about ourselves

At the age of 77, Gary Player posed nude for the cover of ESPN The Magazine.

He also recommends lots of naked sit-ups

Player offered some unsolicited advice for McIlroy on his love life and potential choice of spouse. “If he finds the right wife, if he practices and if he’s dedicated,” Player promised, “he could be the man.”

But they were both looking at him funny

Henrik Stenson destroyed his driver on the course at the BMW Championship, and then took out his frustrations on a Conway Farms locker.

And they love to eat asparagus, just like Robert Garrigus

The band Golf Boys – comprised of Ben Crane, Bubba Watson, Hunter Mahan and Fowler – released a second single called “2.Oh,” which includes lyrics such as, “I got a drippy faucet on my Stewie Stewie Cink” and “I took a vacay at Sang-Moon Bae.”

He now believes in crocodiles, too

Amateur golfer Dougie Thomson of Scotland was vacationing in Cancun when he was attacked by a 12-foot crocodile on a golf course. He survived the attack thanks to friends who beat the animal with golf clubs and ran it over with a cart. “It’s only by the grace of God I’m alive,” Thomson said, “and I’m an atheist.”

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Was that the temperature or a local radio station?

Indiana assistant club pro Michael Bembenick shot a second-round 103 at the Web.com Tour’s United Leasing Championship.

Well, he’s no Michael Bembenick

Long-drive competitor Maurice Allen shot a second-round 115 at the PGA Tour LatinoAmerica’s Dominican Republic Open.

Even Miley Cyrus was kind of offended

In contention at the Open Championship, Miguel Angel Jimenez continued his unique stretching routine on the practice range – a strange combination of yoga and twerking, always accompanied by a lit cigar.

And the leader for Most Ignorant Comment of the Year honors is …

Asked about making amends after a tiff with multi-cultural Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia answered, “We will have him ’round every night. We will serve fried chicken.”

And the new leader for Most Ignorant Comment of the Year honors is …

In defense of Garcia, European Tour executive director George O’Grady said, “Most of Sergio’s friends in the States happen to be colored athletes.”

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He then had meatloaf for lunch – and he hates meatloaf

Padraig Harrington started using a belly putter at the Wells Fargo Championship, even though he is fundamentally opposed to the club’s legality. “I don’t support the belly putter,” he said. “I think it’s bad for the game of golf.”

Paramor then lectured about how in his day, he would walk 10 miles uphill in the snow on every hole – and still go faster than him

Tianlang Guan, 14, was assessed a one-stroke penalty for slow play by rules official John Paramor at the Masters.

What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas

In his 2013-14 season debut, Jhonattan Vegas was docked two strokes at the Frys.com Open for being late to his tee time after making a pit stop at a restroom.

Or as he likes to tell people, ‘I had three 1s on my scorecard’

During the third round of the World Cup of Golf, Stuart Manley posted a hole-in-one on the third hole, and then followed with a septuple-bogey 11 on the fourth.

Which means a green jacket is now only the second-coolest thing that he owns

Watson helped design a Hovercraft golf cart that can easily drive through water hazards.

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Where’s that Hovercraft when you need one?

In contention at The Players Championship, Garcia hit two shots into the water at the 17^th hole and another on the 18^th to drop six strokes on the final two holes and finish in a share of eighth place.

Meanwhile, Tebow’s list of teams who won’t sign him is just the golfer’s last name

Matt Every competed in the Deutsche Bank Championshipwith Tim Tebow’s name and number and the New England Patriots logo on his golf bag, days after Tebow was released by the team just a few miles away in Foxborough.

If that was the case, more caddies would try to marry their players

Patrick Reed won the Wyndham Championship with wife Justine on the bag. She later joked that she’d take 100 percent of the winnings for her caddie fee.

It’s a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it

Arnold Palmer gave supermodel and beginning golfer Kate Upton an introductory swing lesson.

In related news, David Blaine is now the Masters favorite

In November, the USGA announced Decision 18/4, which states that “where enhanced technological evidence (e.g. HDTV, digital recording or online visual media, etc.) shows that a ball has left its position and come to rest in another location, the ball will not be deemed to have moved if that movement was not reasonably discernible to the naked eye at the time.”

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Apparently Tumbledown Trails is like school in summer: No class

Wisconsin golf course Tumbledown Trails offered a $9.11 green fee for nine holes to “commemorate” the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

And that death stare? Total coincidence

Following an errant approach shot into the 12^th hole during the third round of the AT&T National, D.H. Lee turned toward the gallery and gestured with his middle finger. “I am sorry,” he later said. “It was just frustration. It was not directed at anyone.”

In response, California complained that Mickelson still can’t win the U.S. Open

During the Humana Challenge, Phil Mickelson complained about the high tax rate in his home state of California.

Just call her ‘million-dollar baby’

Leading the RBC Canadian Open through 36 holes, Hunter Mahan withdrew from the tournament to fly home to Texas and witness the birth of his first child, a girl named Zoe.

Don’t most people play more golf when they retire?

Enjoying what he called “semi-retirement,” Steve Stricker played just 13 times, but had eight top-10s, including four runner-up finishes.

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He then added, ‘But that was before he couldn’t find a fairway with a compass’

Speaking at the global G8 summit in Northern Ireland in June, President Obama said, “I did meet Rory McIlroy last year and Rory offered to get my swing sorted.”

Unlike most political issues, this one crosses party lines

Former president George W. Bush voiced support for President Obama playing more rounds of golf while in office. “I know what it’s like to be in the bubble,” he said. “It does give you an outlet.”

But she’s definitely not giving up her 11-wood

D.A. Points won the Shell Houston Open while using a Ping Anser putter that he stole out of his mother Mary Jo’s golf bag when he was 11 years old. He said after the victory, “I think Mom is just fine with me having it.”

And for an encore? The entire ‘Thriller’ video

After making birdie during the final round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open at the overpopulated and over-served 16^th hole, James Hahn celebrated in front of the gallery by doing the Gangnam Style dance. “Every time that song comes on, my friends want me to do the dance,” he later said. “It’s like, ‘James, it’s your song. You have to dance.’ And I seriously don’t know how to do the dance. So I was like, I think this is what he does. I’ve seen it a couple of times. It’s all fun. Even if I didn’t do it correctly, I was committed to putting on a show.”

Even Johnny Manziel wouldn’t sign that card

Texas A&M was assessed a one-stroke penalty for slow play in the final round of qualifying prior to the match-play portion of the NCAA Championship. The team was later prevented from advancing when it lost a four-for-three playoff for the final spots.

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Here’s an idea: Don’t read the entire title while standing on the first tee

The USGA hosted a symposium in November titled, “While We’re Young: Golf’s Pursuit of a New Paradigm for Pace of Play.”

Now that’s how you curb slow play

With host site Ocean Club Golf Course saturated from flooding, the LPGA’s Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic was shortened to three 12-hole rounds.

It was the best 42 of her life

Ilhee Lee won the Pure Silk-Bahamas tournament by posting a final-round score of 5-under 42.

That wouldn’t even have won the Pure Silk Classic

In the third round of the Memorial Tournament, Woods posted a front-nine score of 44 – the worst nine-hole total of his professional career.

Hey, it beats being grumpy, dopey or … wipey

In a television interview, Lindsey Vonn referred to boyfriend Woods’ personality as “dorky goofy.”

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Sooo, you’re saying you don’t like it?

When asked for his thoughts on the course setup at Merion during the U.S. Open, Zach Johnson replied, “I would describe the whole golf course as manipulated. It just enhances my disdain for the USGA and how it manipulates golf courses.”

Actually, you don’t

Watson posted a septuple-bogey 10 on the par-3 12^th hole during the final round of the Masters. “If you’re not going to win,” he explained, “you’ve got to get into the record books somehow.”

Whoa. Hold on, dude. We’re still looking up ‘bifurcation’

In speaking of the impending joint anchoring ban from the USGA and R&A in January, PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem explained, “Our objective always has been to try our best to follow the rules as promulgated by the USGA and R&A.”

Sounds like Tiger is confusing Jack with a member of the media

Debunking the widely held notion that the game’s two leading career major championship winners have a close relationship, Jack Nicklaus said of Woods, “I never really had a conversation with Tiger that lasted more than a minute or two. Ever.”