Times wires
Thursday, April 14, 2011
SAN ANTONIO — Kevin Na saw his first shot on the par-4 474-yard No. 9 on Thursday veer badly off course. His next wasn't any better. Or the next one.
"I got done with the hole, and I said (to my caddie), 'I think I made somewhere between a 10 and a 15,' " Na said. "But I think it's close to a 15."
Try 16.
J.J. Henry and Stewart Cink shot 5-under 67 for the first-round lead at the Texas Open. If it wasn't for No. 9, Na might have been there with them. He shot 4 under on the other 17 holes. But so dreadful was the nearly 20-minute ordeal, the score was adjusted twice — first from 14 to 15 then, after a lengthy video review, to 16.
The worst score at a PGA Tour event is John Daly's 18 on the par-5 No. 6 at Bay Hill in 1998. Ray Ainsley had 19 on the par-4 No. 16 at Cherry Hills in the 1938 U.S. Open.
Even Na was smiling by the time he tapped in a 6-footer.
His tee shot sailed into the woods. After finding the ball, he called it unplayable and teed off again — into the woods. He whiffed one stroke, ricocheted another off his thigh, tried two shots left-handed, and had the ball barely sputter forward.
All while still in the woods.
"There's some rocks in there and some pretty nasty stuff," said Geoff Ogilvy, who played in the group behind Na. "You don't have to do a whole lot wrong to have three or four attempts to try and get it out. It becomes a comedy of errors sometimes."
Masters champ struggles: Masters champ Charl Schwartzel shot 39 on the front nine and sat at 1-over 73 after the first round of the European PGA's Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur. "I didn't sleep very well," said Schwartzel, who arrived in Malaysia on Wednesday. "I'm struggling to focus." Alexander Noren shot 8-under 64 to lead by two. Rory McIlroy, who led for most of the Masters, shot 69 after his clubs finally arrived. They were lost on the flight.