After one of the most prestigious events in the country, the ISPS Handa Australian Open, it's back down-to-earth for the PGA Tour of Australasia this week with the Victorian PGA Championship at Moonah Links.
However, while the glamor associated with the first event is largely absent this week, with world-class players who appeared including Joaquin Niemann and Cameron Smith opting to play in the Saudi International instead, it was noteworthy for another, less welcome, reason - brutal wind conditions.
The third round may have been greeted by dry and warm weather, with the temperature around 27°C, but the strong gusts of wind made for challenging conditions throughout.
That was particularly evident on the 17th for Cory Crawford. The 32-year-old, who missed the cut at the ISPS Handa Australian Open, is going considerably better this week, and he headed into the third round just one shot off overnight leader Jason Hong.
Despite the conditions, he remained in touch throughout Saturday’s action, too, staying firmly in contention as his round drew to a close, standing just one behind Jye Picken in a T2 with Hong and Tyler McCumber as the reached the penultimate hole.
It was set to get even better for the Australian as he lined up a birdie putt that would have drawn him level at the top of the leaderboard, but Mother Nature had other ideas.
Even without the 25mph gusts, making the putt was hardly inevitable, with several feet to travel and breaking around six feet to the right, but Crawford judged it to near perfection as he watched the ball roll agonizingly to the left of the hole. Still, surely the ball would come to rest just to the other side of the hole to leave a tap-in for par?
Not quite. Instead, the ball, assisted by the wind, continued on its way, eventually settling on the edge of the green. From potentially drawing level at the top of the leaderboard, Crawford found himself battling to save par and remain just one off the lead.
Have you EVER seen wind like this 🤯💨#VicPGA pic.twitter.com/YLiFLLBqsrDecember 7, 2024
He couldn’t managed it, requiring two further putts to ultimately make a bogey. That dropped him two off the lead, and it’s where he remains with just one round to play.
The conditions weren't disagreeable to everyone, including rookie Picken, whose 68 saw him tie the overnight lead with Hong. He said afterwards: “I like playing in wind. Playing in the wind and even the rain to a certain point keeps me present.”
While that may be the case, it's probably safe to say that following his experience on the 17th, Crawford will be checking the forecast in the hope that the conditions relent by the time he tees it up on Sunday.
