Denzel Ieremia is five shots off the pace at the end of day three of the Emirates Australian Open at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney.
Heading into the third round at 8-under, Ieremia, 23, held steady across the open nine holes without dropping a shot and picking up what was an elusive front nine birdie on the par 4 7th hole.
The Hamilton Golf Club player had luck go his way as those ahead of him faulted and he managed to be tied for the lead at 9-under with Louis Oosthuizen and Matt Jones.
But as former champion Matt Jones turned on the scores, grabbing birdies at 10, 12, 14 and 18, Ieremia couldn’t do the same and found himself squaring 13 and 14 before a bogey on the last, finishing the day even with the card and five behind Jones on 13-under.
Speaking to reporters after the round, Jones explained that even though he’s playing on his local course the wind today played tricks with everyone and it made for some tough golf especially late in the day.
“It’s just not a normal wind, I don’t find out here from years of playing, the easterly’s not a normal wind,” Jones explained.
“I find it normally a north or a south wind. So, you’ve got some side winds out there.
“It was just tricky because it kept going from east, then it went to northeast, then it went to southeast and it’s just tough to trust some of those numbers.
“It got Paul (Casey) on number 9 where he hit a perfect shot and it came up in a bunker. It was tougher and the pin locations were tougher. It was tougher to get access out there.
US player Cameron Tringale had a 2-under for the day and is in outright second place while the UK’s Paul Casey finished the same as Ieremia with an even round and is tied for third with Oosthuizen and Japanese amateur Takumi Kanaya.
Best of the Kiwis today was James Anstiss who was 1-under for the day, 3-under for the tournament and Ryan Chisnall who was even with the card and remains at 4-under.
Ieremia continues to gain terrific experience playing with some of the game’s best and tomorrow he will go around with Marc Leishman and Aaron Pike in the third last group teeing off at 1.39pm NZDT.
