 |
 |
 |
|
That would be his long iron on the par-5 11th, so far right of the green that it nearly missed the water. And his 6-iron on the 13th, so far right that it missed the cart path and went into the woods. He was 5-over during a four-hole stretch.
He took that karma into the island-green 17th.
"It was only a wedge, and thank God for that," said Scott, who came within inches of going over the back and still made bogey.
---
GOYDOS' OFFERING: When Paul Goydos normally reaches the famed No. 17 island green at TPC Sawgrass during practice rounds, he reaches into his bag, grabs a few old balls and tosses them into the murky lagoon as some sort of offering to the golf gods.
He forgot to do it this week.
Maybe he should have. Goydos landed his tee shot, an 8-iron from 146 yards, pin high and it bounced over the back edge. He ended up with a bogey.
"When I hit it, I had a bad feeling I hit it too good," said Goydos, who shot a 4-under 68 in the opening round and was two shots behind leader Sergio Garcia. "I don't have that feeling very often. I was kind of hoping it was an optical illusion that it was going so far."
Goydos bounced back from the bogey with a par on the difficult 18th, then made three consecutive birdies to start his back nine.
So 17 wasn't all bad.
"I even make the argument that that was the hole that kept me levelheaded," he said.
---
PERRY'S VISION: Kenny Perry called his 4-under 68 Thursday the best round of golf he has played all year. It could have been much better had he not missed three fairly short birdie putts.
Perry missed from inside 10 feet on Nos. 6, 12 and 14, an all-too-familiar feeling for the 47-year-old Perry the last few years.
"I just don't read the greens very good anymore," he said. "I don't know if I can't seen. I don't know what it is. I just can't see the line like I used to for whatever reason."
Perry had Lasik surgery a decade ago, then had an enhancement a couple of years later. But his eyesight started deteriorating last year, forcing him to return to wearing contact lenses during the day and glasses at night. But his vision remains a problem, especially around the putting surface.
"It's like I can't see the speed of the green. I can't see the grass. I can't see the grain.," he said.
Making things even more baffling, Perry made a 35-footer for birdie on No. 3 and rolled in a 20-footer for birdie on the seventh.
"I don't get it right now," he said.
---
PLAYER WITHDRAWALS: Masters champion Trevor Immelman, Hunter Mahan, Ryan Armour, Cameron Beckman and Jason Gore withdrew from The Players Championship on Thursday.
