A disastrous 18th hole has ruined Adam Scott‘s first round at the prestigious Players Championship in Florida.
Scott’s first round of 78 leaves him 12 shots behind leaders Tommy Fleetwood and Tom Hoge, with bad weather preventing many players from finishing their opening round.
The Australian was at one-under coming to his 9th hole of the day, the 18th, which has water all down the left side of the fairway.
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Scott, who won this tournament in 2004, put two balls in the water, meaning he was hitting five off the tee, because neither ball ever crossed dry land, meaning he was unable to take a drop further down the fairway.
“Can’t believe it, that is shocking,” said the commentator on the PGA Tour coverage.
“Going from bad to worse.”
From there, he did well to make an eight. Adding salt to the wound, play was suspended due to bad weather almost immediately afterwards, resulting in a four hour delay.
It’s the second time in six years Scott has made an eight at the par-four hole, having also done so in 2016.
During his win in 2004 he also found trouble off the tee, making bogey to win the tournament after his first shot ended up in the water.
Only 66 of the 144 players were able to complete their opening rounds, with 12 players unable to even get on the course. They’ll need to complete their first rounds tomorrow, then backup immediately for the second round.
“I’m chuffed to be in on that score,” Fleetwood said, after his 66.
“I felt like I drove the ball well aside from a couple, and I felt like I chipped and putted great. For sure, that was the most I could have got out of the round. So days like that are very, very pleasing.”
https://twitter.com/PGATOUR/status/1502044664089751553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The iconic 17th hole with its island green proved costly for Harold Varner III, who came to the hole with a two shot lead, only to put his tee shot in the water and leave with a triple bogey.
“Just was in between clubs and didn’t execute the shot, and that’s what you get a lot out here,” Varner said.
Surprisingly, Varner was the only player to find the water on what is typically a hole full of carnage.
COMPLETED SCORES:
66: Tommy Fleetwood, Tom Hoge
67: Kramer Hickok, Joaquin Niemann, Keith Mitchell, Anirban Lahiri
68: Brian Harman, Sam Burns, Abraham Ancer
OTHERS:
69: Cameron Smith
78: Adam Scott
79: Matt Jones
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