SYDNEY — Jordan Spieth proved that even world number ones can be reduced to scrambling around a golf course by blustery winds after carding an even par 71 in the first round of the Australian Open on Thursday.
The 22-year-old defending champion struggled with the conditions all morning, mixing three birdies with three bogeys, including one at the last to drop to par for the round.
It was a far cry from his final round at The Australian Golf Club last year, when he defied the Sydney wind to shoot a brilliant 63 and claim the Stonehaven Cup, launching a year in which he won two majors.