This Should cheer up Rory McIlroy!

[Rogocoko]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWTXoNzuk8c


Stewart Cink and JJ Henry shared the lead on five under par after the first round of the Valero Texas Open, but the unfortunate Kevin Na stole some of the limelight by setting an unwanted record.

Cink, Henry and Na each carded five birdies, but while the leading pair's rounds were blemish-free, Na had the ugliest of stains in the shape of a 16 at the par-four ninth.

Click here to watch video of how Kevin Na made 16 on the ninth at the Texas Open (Youtube).


The rare feat - a duodecuple bogey, or 12 over par - came after, among other misfortunes, an unplayable lie from his tee shot and a two-stroke penalty incurred after his ball hit a tree and rebounded onto him.


Initially scored as a 15 then changed on review, it was the worst score on a par-four hole in PGA Tour history and, to make matters worse, Na was wearing a microphone for the Golf Channel so his frustrations were broadcast for all to hear.

After finally exiting the trees and strolling to the green, Na and his caddie conceded they were struggling to tot up how many shots the South Korean-born American had taken.

Caddie: 'I have no idea what you have.'

Na: 'How are we going to count all the shots?'


Caddie: 'I have no idea.'

Na: 'I can't keep track.'

Caddie: 'They have it on tape so they can go back and count it.'

The pair eventually saw the funny side with Na bemoaning the number of rocks he encountered after missing the fairway.


He said: 'My hand is numb, I hit so many rocks in there. Did you see how many rocks I hit? I have never hit that many rocks in my life.'

He added with a laugh: 'I think I made somewhere between a 10 and a 15 but somewhere closer to a 15.'

With the benefit of hindsight, his caddie said: 'Next time I say 'let's go back to the tee', let's go back to the tee!'


The South Korean-born American, who finished with an eight-over round of 80, told http://www.pgatour.com: 'I feel like I'm playing somewhat decent and it was one shot - actually two, but one that started the whole thing and it was one bad hole and that's what's crazy about this game.

'One bad hole can basically shoot you out of the tournament. That's what I just did.'

The 27-year-old, who was three under for the nine holes after his horror show on the ninth, was proud of the way he bounced back.


'I think I handled myself pretty well,' he said, 'I hit a lot of good shots and didn't make another bogey afterwards. It just shows you how well I took it.'

Na was left to rue one big misjudgment.


'I wish I went back and re-teed it again and I might have made eight,' he said.

'That's four over. That's what, even par or something? I mean it's a lot of what ifs and what could have been. The only thing I can do is learn from this and hopefully it doesn't happen again.'

Had he parred the ninth, he would have been on four under, which would have put him in a share of third alongside, amongst others, defending champion Adam Scott.


The Australian, who finished tied for second at The Masters last week, carded five birdies against one bogey to sit alongside American trio Charley Hoffman, Vaughn Taylor and Kevin Chappell, as well as Colombia's Jhonattan Vegas.


Co-leader Cink, who missed the cut in Augusta, was at a loss to explain his upturn in form.


'I wish I could tell you exactly what it was but the golf course at Augusta National has been sort of in my brain for the last few years,' he said.


'Once I get away from there I become myself again and some alien gets out of my body and gives me my normal stuff back.


'I just felt more comfortable here since I got here and like the golf course. It's the first time I've seen it so it's just been fun.'

Henry said of his round: 'I think first and foremost you've got to get the ball in play. I was obviously able to do that today.


'I controlled the ball great. It was nice to get off to a good start, nice solid round.'

Sweden's Fredrik Jacobson and Scotland's Martin Laird were the leading Europeans after level-par rounds of 72.

[Donny B.]

I think he'll be more cheered by the excellent 64 he shot this morning in Malaysia to take a share of the lead.