5/12/09| Stuart Appleby might be a little disappointed that he didn't win the 2009 Australian Open which concluded at the New South Wales Golf Club, La Perouse, NSW on Sunday. However his performance this week must have done wonders for his confidence as he played the kind of golf his supporters have longed to see this year.

Appleby seemed to be playing a tournament of his own the first two days, shooting two consecutive 66's while playing on the tougher side of the draw in extremely windy conditions on the tough layout. He was several shots better than anyone playing on his side of the draw, and many onlookers called it some of the best golf they have seen for some time.

His coach Steve Bann said the following on Twitter:

Appleby himself said that it was "some of the purest golf I've played". He mentioned how hard he has been working with coach Steve Bann on his game this year, and that this performance didn't just come out of nowhere, it has been a long time coming.

"I haven't had scores like this, but I've had enough going on in my game where I probably should have been shooting under par and I just got a bit more comfortable with that. I was probably surprised how long it took me to turn it from pretty good practice to better play...I feel more comfortable."

Stuart will look to continue his good form this week at the Australian PGA Championship.