Remember Andrew Evans? He was the bloke who had a birdie putt to take Peter Senior to a play-off in the Australian Masters last week only to finish as joint runner-up after signing for a bogey. Unfortunately, you won't find him on the fairways of The Australian this week after he couldn't force his way into the field via qualifying on Monday. But it hasn't stopped an online petition circulating to garner support for his inclusion after the "Cinderella story of the decade in Australian golf". "How can someone who came second in a tournament not be given a start for this or next week? Give the battler a go," reads the petition, started on change.org. "Come on Australian golf, support your own who have served their time." Evans' exemption into the major Australian features won't begin until next year.
Open course even tougher
Defending Australian Open champion Jordan Spieth made one of the toughest courses in the country look almost defenceless during his course record final round, but it hasn't been the catalyst for some tinkering this year. The 14th and 16th holes have been lengthened, yet tournament director Trevor Herden said Spieth's Stonehaven Cup romp wasn't the trigger. "The fairways have got a lot tighter," Herden said. "Errant shots will keep running and bounce off. We've lengthened a couple of holes with the 16th going back 30 metres, which will put a little bit more teeth into those back four holes when you're trying to win a major championship." Spieth will be paired with former world No.1 Lee Westwood and Geoff Ogilvy in a marquee pairing at 7.05am for Thursday's first round.
Bautista's big moment
Spare a thought for 18-year-old amateur Austin Bautista, who will play his first professional tournament in none other than the country's national championship. The Bonnie Doon member booked his spot in the Australian Open via qualifying at Ryde-Parramatta on Monday and will have his name on the same leaderboard as world No.1 Jordan Spieth and former US Masters champion Adam Scott. "It kind of feels surreal actually," Bautista said. "It's pretty cool to play an Aussie Open, it's pretty sweet. My goal this week is to play as many holes as I can." Bautista fired a hole in one in the Tasmanian Open earlier this year and rides into his first professional tournament high on confidence after winning the Federal Amateur Open earlier this month.
