Australian Aaron Baddeley is hoping the hard lessons he learned at the US Open will pay off with a victory at the BMW Championship on Sunday.
Going into the final round of $7-million event Baddeley once again finds himself in the last pairing, triggering painful flashbacks of a US Open meltdown for anyone who watched the Australian wilt under the pressure at Oakmont three months ago.
Holding a two-shot lead over Tiger Woods going into Sunday at Oakmont, Baddeley triple-bogeyed the opening hole to begin a free fall down the leaderboard that ended in a 13th-place finish after shooting a final-round 80.
”There’s a couple things that I learned,” Baddeley told reporters after signing for a third round six-under 65 at the Cog Hill Golf and Country Club. ”The biggest thing for me is just to continue to trust what I’m doing.
”Oakmont, that was just a great learning experience. Obviously I was a little disappointed but I was very encouraged with that week and how I played, having the ability to be in that position, especially on that hard of a golf course.”
At least Baddeley will not have the added worry of going head-to-head in the final pairing with Woods again, although the world number one’s presence is sure to be felt.
Baddeley and American Steve Stricker both birdied the final hole on Saturday to move one shot clear of Woods, leaving Briton Justin Rose the honour of playing alongside the 13-times major winner in the second last pairing.
”I really enjoy playing with Steve, he’s just one of the greatest guys out here,” said Baddeley, who picked up his second career PGA Tour win this season at the Phoenix Open. ”I’m really looking forward to it. I think we’re going to have a great time out there.
”I’ve been in the lead before, so even though Oakmont was different, it being a major, it’s still the same thing in the sense of you’re in the lead of a golf tournament. – Reuters