Spieth expects Jones challenge

World number one Jordan Spieth believes Matt Jones has a great chance of winning the Australian Open in Sydney this week.

The American heads into the tournament as the defending champion after a sensational six stroke win last year over Rod Pampling, who was second on seven-under-par.

Spieth’s victory was the start of a special season and the 22-year-old went on to clinch two major titles at the Masters and the US Open, while triumphing in another three events on the PGA Tour.

The Texan ended up top of the FedEx Cup standings in the previous campaign and he is expected, along with Jason Day and Rory McIlroy, to dominate the golfing world for the next decade.

Spieth will be aiming to defend his title at the Australian Golf Club this week but the US star has tipped home favourite Jones to make a big impact in the competition.

“He’s always capable of posting something like eight or nine under in a single round,” he said. “He’s got a lot of firepower and that’s what you need on this course. You need to take advantage of opportunities because you’re certainly going to have some.”

Jones’ only win came in the 2014 Shell Houston Open but the 35-year-old was impressive when finishing tied-21st at the PGA Championship in this campaign.

Tagged Australian Open, Jordan Sp, Matt Jones