Barring absolute disaster, and there are a few pitfalls awaiting the unwary, on the back nine of The Australian course, 21-year-old American Jordan Spieth is poised to claim the 2014 Emirates Australian Open championship.
Should that happen, he will be the first American to hold the Stonehaven Cup aloft since Brad Faxon who won at Melbourne’s Metropolitan layout in 1993.
That just happens to be the year Spieth was born.
Through nine holes yesterday, Spieth was four under for the day and his tally through 63 holes was nine under.
His nearest pursuers – Western Australian pair Brett Rumford and Greg Chalmers – were in his company in the final group of the day, so if he was tenses up a little there would be not need to check leaderboards long the way on the back nine.
Rumford is three back and Chalmers four.
One group ahead, Adam Scott was grinding away at level par through nine and four under in total. Miracles looked out of the question in today’s conditions and the 2013 Masters Champion would need a little help from those in the final group to win a second national open.