Bryden Macpherson is on the march, six under for his round midway through the back nine here at Concord.
The freshly crowned Moonah Links PGA Classic champ started the inward nine with back-to-back birdies on the 10th and 11th to get to -14. another on the par four 13th has seen him out to a one shot lead over playing partner, Nathan Barbieri.
Jack Thompson, who in his short professional career has been around the top five in each of his last three starts, is also on the move, currently -5 for the day.
RELATED LINKS
- Leaderboard
- 2.40 pm: Epic Elvis shoots 64
- 1.40pm: Barbieri joins the race for Kel
- 11.50 am: Albatross Alert for Elvis
- 7.45 am: Sun’s out guns out. Get to Concord
- No weekend, no matter for golfing duo
2.50 pm: Elvis shoots epic 64
Gold Coaster Elvis Smylie, the son of legendary Australian tennis player Liz Smylie, broke the shackles of his immense talent with a glorious seven-under round that included just the ninth albatross in Australian PGA history here at Concord Golf Club in Sydney.
Starting the day eight shots back from overnight leader Michael Sim, Smylie was miraculous at times, holing his five-iron from 208m on the par-five eighth for a rare albatross, scoring an eagle on 11 and then peppering the round with a mix of four birdies and a couple of bogeys to finish with a 64 and in third place at -12.
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That round, one of his best in his short professional career, included four three putts. Scary.
“It was a roller-coaster,” said the 18-year-old.
“Four three-putts is never great, but the greens were tricky and very fast and I got on the wrong side of pins a couple of times. Luckily I was able to make that albatross on eight, and an eagle on 11 that evened things out.”
“I can go into the final round now ready for the challenge.”
It was the second albatross of Smylie’s young career, his first came at ninth at Royal Perth Golf Club. “I just hit an absolute cracking five-iron with a little draw and it was tracking all the way. One of my playing plartners said it tracked like a putt. It was kinda cool, my first in a tournament. What a time to do it.”
Sydneysider Nathan Barbieri has the lead however heading into the back nine here on moving day.
A flawless four-under front nine has continued on the back, with another birdie at the par-five 11th to be at -14 and one-shot clear of overnight leader Michael Sim who is even for the day.
Victorian Bryden McPherson is also challenging with five birdies and a lone bogey to also be at -14.
Other scores of note include a trio of five-under rounds from Queenslanders Jarrod Stirling (-10), Damien Jordan (-9) and South Aussie Max McCardle (-6).
Best placed amateur is Canberra’s Harry Bolton and St. Michael’s Harrison Crowe, who are both at minus seven.
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1.40 pm: Barbieri joins the Challenge for ‘Kel’
The challenge for the Kel Nagle Cup has begun, with Nathan Barbieri moving quickly up the leaderboard here at Concord in Sydney, with a blistering three birdies through his first five holes.
Barbieri, the 24-year-old from Monash Country Club, birdied the 297m par-four first, then quickly added two more at the second and fifth to be at -12 and only one short adrift of the overnight leader, Michael Sim.
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South Australian Anthony Choat is also troubling the scorers with four birdies in his third round, coming on the 1st, 2nd, 8th and 11th. The third round enters the midway point in the Golf Challenge NSW Open.
Sim, 36, is even through his first six holes but retains his overnight lead. His putter was on fire yesterday, but the experienced former Nationwide Tour winner is remaining patient knowing there are multiple birdie opportunities still to come.
Other rounds of note today include that of Elvis Smylie who is five-under through 14 – thanks in part to a magnificent albatross on the 485m par-five eighth, only the ninth albatross in Australian PGA history.
He is currently five-under for his round and only three back. Smylie’s caddie, legendary Australian golfer Mike Clayton, said Smylie would “need to get a wriggle on if he wants to win the tournament,” as he teed off the 10th. The 18-year-old duly delivered.
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No weekend, no matter for this golfing duo
The Golf Challenge New South Wales Open has long since become a “nice to have” for Brendan Jones and Chris Campbell, as opposed to the driving motivation it might once have been and still is for every young title aspirant in the field.
Mark Hayes sat down with the duo to find out how life has moved beyond golf (MORE)…
11.50 am: Albatross Alert for Elvis
The rare bird has landed at Concord. Queensland young gun Elvis Smylie has albatrossed the 8th here at Concord Golf Club.
Smylie, 18, becomes the ninth member of the ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia Albatross Club, going some elite company which includes Adam Scott, Greg Norman, and Brad Kennedy.
Smylie rifled a five-iron from 208m on the par 5 eighth.
The full list of players is:
- Brad Kennedy – 15th Rosebud Golf Club, TPS Victorian 2021
- Greg Norman – 5th hole The Australian GC Australian Open 1990
- Adam Scott – 8th The Lakes GC, Australian Open 2011
- Matt Zions – 14th The Australian GC, Australian Open 2007
- Damien Jordan – 9th Brisbane Golf Club Qld Open 2017
- Steve Jeffress – 15th The Hills GC, New Zealand Open 2007
- Richard Johnson – 15th The Hills GC, New Zealand Open 2009
- Roger Mackay – 14th, Kingston Heath GC, Victorian Open 1987
- Elvis Smylie – 8th Concord GC, NSW Open 2021
7.45 am: Sun’s out, guns out. Get to Concord
Good morning everyone and welcome to our extensive coverage of day three of the Golf Challenge NSW Open at Concord in Sydney’s glorious inner west.
Has there ever been a better reason to get out and watch live golf? With Michael Sim at the top of the leaderboard and a pack of young guns in the hunt, why not head down here to Concord and walk one of Australia’s most beautiful and challenging golf courses and see the action for yourself.
Get your tickets here.
It’s a picture-perfect day here in Sydney, with light winds forecast throughout the weekend, and Concord’s famous greens likely to get a little quicker today as the course continues to dry out.
Can’t get here? Don’t worry. You can watch all the action from 2-5 pm on Fox and Kayo or simply follow our live blog and regular updates throughout the day. Make sure you also check out Brett Costello’s beautiful imagery, with the award-winning photographer providing stunning imagery of the action and landscapes around this pretty little golf course.
Who will make their move today? Can Simmy break away from the field on a course that suits his length off the tee and crisp iron game, or will the fearlessness of youth in the form of players like Justin Warren and Daniel Gale prevail on a course that has many birdie opportunities throughout both nines?
Stay tuned, going to be a cracker of a day here at Concord.
