Jones holds off Oosthuizen to win Australian Open

SYDNEY: Matt Jones joined an elite few by winning his second Australian Open Sunday, resisting big pressure on the back nine from South African Louis Oosthuizen to clinch victory by a shot.The 39-year-old, who grew up playing at the Australian Golf Club in Sydney before taking his game to the United States, stroked a final round 69 to earn a place at the 2020 Open Championship at Royal St George’s.He joins the likes of Aaron Baddeley, Jordan Spieth, and Robert Allenby among his contemporaries to have won two Stonehaven Cups.On a warm, gusty day, he ended at 15-under for the tournament, one ahead of Oosthuizen, who warmed-up for the Presidents Cup against the Tiger Woods-led Americans in Melbourne this week with impressive form.The world number 24 moved within two shots of Jones with back-to-back birdies on 10 and 11 and sunk a spectacular eagle on the 18th in his 66, leaving the Australian needing par to win on his last hole.Jones clipped a tree on his second shot and landed in the sand, but held his nerve to reach the green and nail a pressure putt to claim victory. Japan’s Takumi Kanaya, the world’s top-ranked amateur, and Australian Aaron Pike ended tied for third, six shots behind Jones. Both also qualified for next year’s British Open.England’s Paul Casey, the highest-ranked player in the field at 14, hit a final round 72 to tie for fifth among a group of five, including exciting South Korean amateur Yu Chun-am.

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