Cameron Smith and Ashley Hall may have come up just short at the Australian Open, but they didn't leave Sydney empty-handed.
Smith and Hall both lost to Jordan Spieth on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff, as Spieth rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt to rally for his second tournament title in the last three years. But the event marked the first of the 2017 Open Qualifying Series, as the top three finishers not otherwise exempt earned spots in the 2017 Open.
Smith and Hall can both plan their schedules around a trip to Royal Birkdale next summer, while the third spot went to veteran Aaron Baddeley since Spieth was already exempt.