Brandt Snedeker opens Aussie PGA with stunning 84
Brandt Snedeker did not get off to a good start on Thursday in the Australian PGA Championship.
Snedeker, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 38 in the latest Official World Golf Ranking, opened with a 12-over 84 at Royal Links that has him 17 shots behind the lead.
The Tennessean got off to an awful start, playing the first five holes in 7 over par in windy conditions more reminiscent of a blustery day at the British Open. Winds whipped to some 40 mph at times, making scoring difficult for the entire field. Snedeker, who played the back nine first, went out in 9-over 45. He came home with four bogeys on the back nine, with his lone birdie of the day on the par-4 sixth.
”It was just a horrible day,” said Snedeker, whose score still beat four players in the 156-man field. ”There is nothing else to say. I wish I could put a spin on it. I think the conditions obviously played a part in it. But I think it was way more execution than it was conditions. When you’re not firing on all cylinders and the wind is blowing the way it did out here, your mistakes are going to be exacerbated. Mine were.”
Only six players broke par on Day 1, with South African Zander Lombard, ranked 800th in the world, shooting the pace-setting 5-under 67.
David Lingmerth and John Senden, the only other two top-100 players in the field, both shot 1-over 73.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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