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Live blog: 2012 Australian Open, Day 4

John Senden took back the lead after an up and down round on Day 3 which placed him at -7, and a handy two shots ahead of the pack.

Overnight leader, Marcus Fraser has plummeted down the leaderboard to -2 after his third round capitulation.

Expect big things on the final day of play, with many familiar names hovering within striking distance, such as Peter Senior, Stuart Appleby, Justin Rose and Adam Scott.

It's shaping up to be a gusty Sydney day, meaning this championship is genuinely there for the taking.

Who will win the Stonehaven Cup?

Find out today with live updates from 12pm (AEST) right until the final group is back in the clubhouse, so you don't miss any of the action.

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8.00pm
Peter Senior is awarded the Stonehaven Cup as the 2012 Australian Open Champion.

7.50pm
Wow. Rose misses his par putt leaving it just millimetres short of the hole. Rose finishes with a 76 and tied for fourth at -1. Brendan Jones outright 2nd with -3 for the weekend.

7.48pm
No hole-in-one for Justin Rose, which means...Peter Senior wins the 2012 Australian Open. Senior says he's extra proud he could share it with his son Mitch, who was on the bag this weekend.

7.45pm
Well, well, well. Justin Rose pars the 17th. He needs a hole in one on the last to force a play-off with Senior. Just don't see it happening. But then...we never know with this crazy game!!

7.35pm
Senior leaves his birdie putt short but after marking it and gathering himself he sinks his par putt to be -4. All on Rose now. Will take something special for Rose to birdie the last two holes to force a playoff though. Matt Jones with a 77 today leaves him +1 for the tournament.

7.32pm
Step up Mr Senior! Takes every ounce of energy for the mature pro to get it up on the green at the last hole against the wind. Gets a rousing applause as he approaches his ball. He has a 6m putt for birdie, but you have to think an easy two-putt will enough to win him the Stonehaven Cup.

7.31pm
Rose misses a gimme for par on the 16th! He drops back to -2. You must think this is all Peter Senior's to lose here.

7.30pm
Kieran Pratt knocks in his par to card a 75 for the day and finish -1 for the tournament. His partner Stuart Appleby visibly sighs with relief after getting his par putt too. Appleby looked promising at the start of play but fizzled like many others to be even overall.

7.20pm
Stanley finished with a bogey on the last and Cam Percy pars it to finish with -2 for the tournament.

7.15pm
Kyle Stanley and Cam Percy teeing off on the last. Percy's made the green but Stanley has gone to the right. Not a great day for the American. He's currently +7 for the day.

7.05pm
Poor ol' Sendo. Misses his par putt and is now +2 overall. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.


7.00pm
A bad lay-up from Senden gives him an awkward 3rd shot into the par 5. Lands well short, he'll again have to work hard to get up and down from there and prevent himself from sliding further down the leaderboard. His group partner though produces a beautiful stroke to be just a couple of metres from the pin.

6.57pm
Unbelievable! The average score today is 77. That's not pretty.

6.55pm
Adam Scott hasn't featured much this weekend but he gives the gallery something to cheer about by chipping in for an eagle on the 17th, and moves to +2.

6.50pm
Rare birdie for Justin Rose. He sinks a gimme on the 13th to be one stroke behind Senior at -3.

6.45pm
Peter Senior has been so solid with his short game today. Combine that with accuracy ahead of length off the tee and you've got a handy round of golf. He's looking the goods to win this.

6.40pm
Brendan Jones pars the last to card a 71 for the day and be the new clubhouse leader with a tournament score of -3. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.


6.37pm
Justin Rose back to -2 after bogeying alongside Senden. Still has enough holes to make it up and finish strongly though.

6.35pm
Just gets worse for Senden. He's bogeyed another to be +8 and in equal 10th place at +1 overall.

6.25pm
Senden misses another tough par putt to be +7 for this round so far. Ouch. He's gone from being the outright leader at the start of day's play to crashing down the leaderboard at even par.

6.20pm
Peter Senior sinks a beautiful right-to-left birdie putt on the 12th that broke nicely into the hole. Looks very surprised he made that! Senior moves to -4 to hold the outright lead with a two-shot buffer.

6.15pm
Chalmers finishes with a 77 for today to be +4 for the tournament. Not his best day for sure, but in trying conditions, probably not a fair result for last year's winner.

6.10pm
Close miss from Scott Gardiner on the 17th. Almost got his birdie to go to -2, instead shaves the edge of the hole and remains at -1 with one to play.

6.08pm
Appleby misses his par putt to be even for the tournament. Last year's winner Greg Chalmers birdies to be +3.

6.05pm
Rose misses, and goes back to -2.

6.00pm
Okay so Rose negotiated that shot pretty well. Will have an 8m putt for par. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.


5.57pm
Forget Senden being in trouble, Justin Rose would kill for that lie right about now. He's deeper in the sandy lie beside the trees on the left. Had to just chop it out to the fairway. Now finds himself with over 100m from the green hitting his third shot ton the par 4 hole.

5.55pm
Senden in some trouble on the par 4 10th hole. Finds himself left in the rough needing to draw it around the edge of the trees toward the pin. Hard to get spin from the thick grass though and it's finished in the back bunker.

5.45pm
Kim Felton puts his chip on the last to just a foot from the hole and seals the par to be clubhouse leader at -1 with an even round today.

5.40pm
Peter Senior sinks his birdie putt at 10 to go to -3 and share the lead. Who do you think will win this?

5.37pm
The par 3 18th hole at The Lakes is playing ridiculously long this afternoon as Kim Felton just found out. 170-odd-metres playing over 200m hitting straight into the wind. Felton took a long iron, only to land a good 20m short of the green. Bizarre golf we're seeing.

5.35pm
On the 13th Matty Goggin has the radar honed and converts a birdie putt to move to -1.

5.30pm
Rather uninspiring leaderboard at the moment. Justin Rose has the lead, but simply by not tanking as much as everyone else. The Englishman has got the Stonehaven Cup within his grasp at -3.

5.25pm
Cam Percy leaves himself a difficult par save following an ordinary bunker shot. Long putt to come. But to be fair, it is hard when all the sand has been blown out of the bunkers!

5.20pm
Another double bogey for John Senden! Drops all the way back to -2 after a disastrous effort from the bunker on the par 3 7th hole. Found himself on the top lip of the bunker, chipped it close, but missed the bogey putt.

5.15pm
Gardiner drops to -1 after missing a 2m par putt. He's even for the day through 13, but in good form. A couple of birdies could see him finish well.

5.10pm
Rose on the green at 7 while Senden finds the bunker. Taunting pin placement in the back-middle of the green, made to look easier than it actually is.

5.06pm
Justin Rose had a real chance to get a shot back on Senden with a 3m birdie putt. But it just didn't break for him, and he taps in for an easy par.

5.05pm
Matt Goggin nails his birdie putt on 11 to move to even par for the tournament. A solid back nine might get him a tidy cheque.

4.55pm
Just when he looked to be finding some consistency in these treacherous conditions, John Senden is back to -4 with yet another bogey to be +3 for the day. Still has the lead though.

4.48pm
Scott Gardiner on 11th green beside the water has his birdie putt lip-out, and settles for a par to be -2.

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4.46pm
Senior drops to -3 having bogeyed the 5th hole. Par putt just died off at the last minute.

4.45pm
Brett Rumford misses his long-range par putt AND short bogey putt on the 18th to finish with a double bogey and a tournament score of +1.

4.35pm
Senden holds the outright lead at -5 as Rose drops back to -3 with another bogey. Three solid pars after a rocky start could mean Senden is finding his rhythm and ready to make some birdies now. Senior hot on his heels at -4 though.

4.32pm
Senden in a really nasty lie on the back of the slop on a fairway bunker in thick rough. About 140m out with the ball sitting above his feet he hits it low, but it kicks on and runs through to the back of the green. A little pitch shot with lots of green to work with could go down nicely.

4.25pm
Cameron Percy saves par on the 5th, dropping a 3m up and down.

4.20pm
Tough going for Rose at the moment. He's hit every green in regulation, but can't get close enough to the pin and long putts in these difficult conditions aren't easy. He's 3-putted from 15m out to bogey and move back to -4.

4.15pm
In thick grass to the right of the 4th green, standing on a slight downslope Appleby hacks his 3rd shot out. Very little green to work with and leaves himself a very long par putt back to the hole. Three-putt means he's double bogeys.

4.12pm
Senden's second shot rolls to the back of the green, while Rose lands it at the front for a long birdie chance.

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4.10pm
Glorious chip shot down the back slop of the greenside bunker and a foot from the pin. Easy par for him there, you'd think.

4.02pm
Peter Senior says "it's blowing as hard as it was when they called it off" except now they have the cold to contest with too.

4.00pm
Appleby rescues himself with a clever chip and run on the 3rd leaving him a short putt to save par. Kieran Pratt does the same from a similar position, just holes a longer par putt. What do you think of Appleby's putting style, playing with his glove on? Don't see that too often. Nicklaus was notable for doing the same thing.

3.57pm
John Senden really missed a sitter there. Had a 3-foot putt for birdie and for the outright lead after a gorgeous approach on the 400m par 4 2nd, but hit it just a bit too firm. Solid par for Justin Rose.

3.55pm
Adam Scott has made his way back to even par, and just made a beautiful 15-foot putt to save his par on the 4th hole.

3.50pm
Peter Senior narrowly misses a birdie putt, shaving the right edge of the hole on the 2nd hole to remain at -4.

3.40pm
And just like that tournament leader John Senden drops two shots with a double bogey on the 1st hole. Back at -5 after he found water with his second, and couldn't sink his bogey putt. Now shares the lead with partner Justin Rose who made par.

3.37pm
Justin Rose lands his 1st hole approach in the middle of the green from prime position on the fairway. Will have a 6m putt for birdie. Senden sent his 2nd shot low and possibly left of the pin. Will have his heart in his throat, hoping it didn't go into the water.

3.36pm
Well, they found John Senden's ball. He's finished in an alright position actually. Way right, but he has a clear view over the trees to the pin. He'll be hitting it right into the wind. Key will be landing it in the right spot on the green.

3.35pm
Kyle Stanley bogeys the second and is now at -1. Not easy for the internationals to adjust to these windy, coastal Sydney conditions.

3.32pm
Matthew Jones misses his par putt on the first hole to move back to -3. Disappointing start for the youngster.

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3.30pm
Justin Rose bringing out a football 'Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole' chant from fans at the 1st tee. Slaps his shot down the middle with the driver. Senden on the other hand hits it right. Will be interesting to see where that landed.

3.27pm
Senior way way short with his second shot to the 1st. Wind still making it tough for players. The final group of John Senden and Justin Rose about to tee off.

3.25pm
How about some credit for the Emirates girls on the first tee. How DO they keep those hats from flying away? Another one of golf's many mysteries.

3.20pm
Peter Senior and Matthew Jones next to tee off. Watch out for Senior, he knows how to win a championship.

3.11pm
Stuart Appleby and Kieran Pratt tee off on the first. Both will fancy their chances of making a charge up the leaderboard. Percy makes par while Stanley bogeys on the 1st hole.

3.10pm
Cameron Percy rocking the backwards hat lands his 2nd shot on the par 4 1st right in the middle of the green. Kyle Stanley in similar position. Both putting for birdies.

3.07pm
Scott saves his par on the 1st hole but Matthew Millar misses a short putt to bogey.

3.05pm
American Kyle Stanley tees off the first to get his round underway, sends it right, had to call out 'fore', but it looks like it will just be in the light rough.

3.00pm
Matthew Millar keeps his shot into the 1st hole low under the wind, problem is the gust died down and he's rolled it well off the back. His group partner Adam Scott on the other hand is not afraid to sent it up but the ball holds up in the wind and falls short of the green. A sign of just how tough it is to play in this weather.

2.50pm
And we're back! Play has resumed out on the course. But many players say the conditions are exactly the same to what it was when play was stopped. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
2.20pm
Tournament Director Trevor Herden says play should resume at 2.50pm. Players are out of the locker rooms and warming up on the range. Winds still around 50km/h but Herden says those conditions are "manageable" and similar to the conditions the morning groups faced.

2.00pm
Wind is reportedly 'easing', BUT there are fears that a storm may be on the way. However they do not think the storm will arrive until 5pm, if it arrives at all. Organisers will now test the wind conditions on the 12th hole (the highest point) and if it looks good, play is expected to resume in about 30-40 minutes.

1.30pm
Geoff Ogilvy says the players yet to tee off will need about five holes to settle into the windy conditions. He says if they do that, they might, MIGHT, shoot a decent score.

1.10pm
Tournament Director Trevor Herden says there are too many players who have played their final round for them to shorten the tournament from 72 holes to 54 holes. They will definitely play on today. He says the major winds won't die down until 5.30pm, but the wind will calm down slightly within the next half hour allowing for play to resume. Stay tuned, we will continue to keep you updated.

1.00pm
Some more of the carnage at The Lakes Golf Club. Photo courtesy of PGA of Australia.


12.50pm
Play should be back underway very soon. Do you think they should have stopped play or let it go on?

12.30pm
US golfing legend Tom Watson carded an impressive bogey-free round of 69 this morning to finish the tournament at +5.

12.27pm
Wayne Grady says players who haven't teed off yet with be ecstatic they don't have to go out until the conditions settle down.

12.20pm
Have the players not seen Happy Gilmore? Putting through fallen TV scaffolding is totally doable.

12.15pm
Tournament organisers hoping for play to resume before 1pm (AEST).

12.12pm
Nick O'Hern blowing up about the timing of when the hooter to suspend play was sounded. He says conditions have been like this for the last hour, and they should have done it earlier rather than allowing play to continue with players fighting it, while those that tee off later can have better playing conditions. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

12.10pm
Trevor Herden, Tournament Director, says conditions are just too dangerous for players with winds reaching 80km/h.

12.08pm
Balls were moving on the greens and TV camera scaffolding have been falling down in the gusty conditions. One has even fallen into a greenside bunker. Gallery of spectators have retreated to shelter beside the clubhouse. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.


12.05pm
Play has been suspended at The Lakes due to 45-knot winds causing absolute havoc on the course! Sand blowing out of bunkers, tree branches falling, scaffolding shaking precariously - what a bad way to start the afternoon!