Jake

McLeod

That’s just two swings back from Spanish leader Alejandro Canizares. Local man McLeod started with four pars from the 10th on the easier Creek Course and then made his move with red numbers at 14, 16 and 17. On his second nine, he ticked 1, 4, 6 and 7 to complete an excellent first lap. McLeod was a runner-up at this tournament in 2017 before it became co-sanctioned by the European Tour although he missed the cut last year. Ahead of his second lap, at the Beach Course, he said: "[A result here] helps with points on the Race to Dubai, but it’s the first tournament of the year for me. I’m just looking to dust off the cobwebs and see if I can make it until Sunday. I like the course. I know I can get out there and don’t have to think too much about it and just give it a rip and see how we go.”

The Aussie closed the 2019 season with a best-of-the-year T8 at the Portugal Masters, but since then he has missed cuts in the Alfred Dunhill Championship, Australian Open and Australian PGA Championship, not breaking 71 in those six laps. He has plenty of experience of the Beach and Creek courses at 13th Beach Golf Links. He missed the cut last year (69-73) and did the same on debut in 2016 (75-73). But he was T2 in 2017 when he opened with a 70, but added a blistering second round 61 and then closed out with 68-75. The following year he went 68-72-75 for T40.

That’s two swings back from leader Louis De Jager. The 25-year-old secured a European Tour card by winning his home Aussie Order of Merit last season but is down at 159th in this year’s Race to Dubai rankings so needs a top two finish here to keep it. This is an excellent start although it remains a huge ask. McLeod didn’t manage back-to-back birdies today but made his red numbers at regular intervals. On the way out he ticked 2, 5 and 7 while coming home he birdied 12, 14 and 17. This matches his lowest round of the season, set back in February’s Saudi International.

McLeod won the Aussie Order of Merit last season, securing himself a European Tour card for a year and two starts in WGC events. The first comes this week in Mexico. His prep hasn’t been ideal having missed the cut at the Vic Open and taken T60 at the World Super 6 Perth, the two recent European Tour events played in his Australian homeland. Having had to endure a long flight (Brisbane, LA, Mexico), McLeod describes his current game as “rusty”. His chances? The shorter course may help a little bit but he’s right at the bottom of the bookies’ lists at 400/1.

The Aussie lunched in a four-way tie for second alongside Alfie Plant, Ross Fisher and Justin Harding, two swings back of the early pace setter Thomas Pieters. For the Aussie such a position seemed unlikely as he made the turn. He had started on the back nine and ticked the 164-yard par-3 11th hole, but stumbled to a bogey-6 at the 607-yard par-5 18th hole. He response was electric: He turned in red numbers at the first, second, third, fourth and fifth holes before completing his lap with four pars. He’s not been seen in action since the end of 2018, but he gave a hint there that he was in fine form, when winning on the Australian Tour’s NSW Open, grabbing T3 at the Australian Open and finally T19 in the Australian PGA Championship.

McLeod continues to enjoy his week at the RACV Royal Pines Resort in Surfer’s Paradise, Queensland, looking to maintain his improvement in returns there (previous results: MC-T25-T11). He played his amateur golf on the same teams as the leader Smith, but they’ve seen little of each other in recent years. “We haven’t played a round in a long time, so it would be nice to have a game and see where I’m at against one of the best players in the world,” he said of the prospect of playing together at the weekend. “It was a bit of an up and down day, a lot of good and a lot of bad.” Indeed, the two nines were all of that. The front nine saw two birdies yet closes out with a bogey-6. The back nine opened with birdie-birdie-eagle-3, but a bogey came next and a ruinous double bogey-6 at 17 cost him the 36-hole lead.

Fresh from winning the recent New South Wales Open and then claiming an Open Championship spot in the Australian Open, the 24-year-old has now thrashed his career best round at the Surfer’s Paradise track in his third appearance and his trajectory is moving in the right direction. His previous three visits reaped MC-T25-T11. He opened in style with four birdies in his first six holes on the back nine (at 10, 12, 13 and 15). The back nine witnessed only two ticks (2 and 9), but there were no errors. “Got off to a flying start,” he said. “I was pretty nervous starting off but that settles the nerves. Made few good up and downs out there. I’ve been playing well, I’ve just got to keep on doing what I’ve been doing. Anything can happen. I’ve just got to do what I can do and see what happens at the end of it.”

The Queenslander heads home after a big month which has seen him break the course record at Twin Creeks in Sydney (62) on the way to winning the New South Wales Open. He took a four shot lead into the final round, saw it evaporate over the front nine, but pulled it back to claim the victory, a breakthrough on the Australasian Tour. The 24-year-old is inexperienced at European Tour co-sanctioned level, but not without hope. He’s 7-for-9 with the two missed cuts his first two starts. He was also T11 here last year, T6 in the Fiji International and T48 at the recent Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.