Even I could score better than this.

April 14, 2011 5:47 PM

Kevin Na made it to the 9th hole of the first round of the Valero Texas Open on Thursday with a decent score of one under. Unfortunately, he left the hole with a much, much worse score.

Na ended up with a 16 on the par-4 hole, giving him the highest result on a par-4 hole in PGA Tour history. (Only John Daly has a worse overall score, as he hit an 18 at Bay Hill in 1998 on the par-5 6th hole.)

Na managed to get his score via hitting his ball into an unplayable lie, then hitting it into the woods, followed by ricocheting a shot off a branch onto his leg. Several swings later, he finally made it back out to the fairway, where he finished his hole about as normal as you could.

posted by RyanAdams (41 comments total)

Sad thing is I probably couldn't beat that.
posted by gottabefunky at 5:57 PM on April 14, 2011

"What are the chances we get outta here ..."
"Ahh! ..."
"He's gonna go for it"
"You can hear the frustration in his voice now ..."

The human condition, summed up quite nicely in by the game of golf.
posted by localhuman at 5:57 PM on April 14, 2011 [5 favorites]

onto his leg

... the contact resulting in an additional penalty stroke.
posted by zippy at 5:58 PM on April 14, 2011 [2 favorites]

Some days you beat the bar. Some days the bar beats you.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 5:59 PM on April 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

I play.

I tried to watch, and just couldn't. It is a golf snuff video.
posted by Bovine Love at 6:01 PM on April 14, 2011 [19 favorites]

I feel so bad for that guy.
posted by djduckie at 6:12 PM on April 14, 2011

Turns out even the most exciting moments in golf are painfully dull.
posted by Felex at 6:12 PM on April 14, 2011 [15 favorites]

I've done this on Tiger Woods PGA Tour on the PS2 and let me tell you, that was frustrating enough.
posted by dixiecupdrinking at 6:13 PM on April 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

After hitting two tee shots into unplayable lies, he hit a third drive into the woods.

I don't want to know what was more unplayable than "under a log, deep in the woods".

Also: Finally, a golfer gets some actual exercise.
posted by DU at 6:15 PM on April 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

I'm like this at Wii Golf.
posted by tumid dahlia at 6:17 PM on April 14, 2011

Any idea how big his paycheck was? Bet he still beat all of you!
posted by cjorgensen at 6:22 PM on April 14, 2011

I liked the part where he tried to hit the golf ball well but didn't.
posted by Justinian at 6:23 PM on April 14, 2011 [3 favorites]

I'm impressed at how composed he remained.
posted by The World Famous at 6:23 PM on April 14, 2011

I wonder if has heard the same refrain I often got from my friends when I tried "playing" golf: "Just pick up the ball, we can't stay here all day."
posted by maxwelton at 6:26 PM on April 14, 2011

I'm surprised my family's rule isn't allowed - if you don't like where the ball is, you can pick it up and throw it.
posted by zippy at 6:32 PM on April 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

I'd still rather be him than Rory McIlroy on Sunday.
posted by Rock Steady at 6:56 PM on April 14, 2011 [4 favorites]

Favorite part was his little club spin after hitting to the green with his 13th shot. It looked a little like spiking the ball after scoring to pull with 70-6 in a football game.
posted by TheShadowKnows at 7:05 PM on April 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

Why is one of the sub-links immediately below that vid "The 40 worst cheaters in sports history"? Shouldn't it be, "40 more of the most honest players in sports history"?
posted by Mike D at 7:08 PM on April 14, 2011

Na Na Na Na, Na Na Na Na, hey hey hey, good-bye.
posted by item at 7:32 PM on April 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

Post-round interview.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 7:35 PM on April 14, 2011 [1 favorite]

I was under the impression, that if you hit it into an unplayable lie, you could drop it into a playable area?
posted by geoff. at 7:41 PM on April 14, 2011

I believe you can either go back to where you hit the shot that landed in the unplayable lie, go two club lengths away, or go straight backward from the hole keeping the point where the ball landed in front of you. None of those things would get him to a better spot once he was stuck in the woods. The crucial mistake was not going back to the tee again, as he had the first time he hit it there. Once he tried to hit it from the woods, he really had no other choice but to keep hacking away at it.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 8:15 PM on April 14, 2011

Na played the remaining holes 3 under, so I guess he got over his frustration relatively quickly.
posted by Harpocrates at 9:25 PM on April 14, 2011

He should have used the FW (foot-wedge).
posted by XhaustedProphet at 9:58 PM on April 14, 2011

Does this mean Na has qualified for the Celebrity Classic circuit?
posted by Sys Rq at 11:29 PM on April 14, 2011

Could have been worse, could have been a peacock spider
posted by From Bklyn at 12:00 AM on April 15, 2011

It's painfully dull if you don't know how hard it is and don't appreciate the tension of the situation. It's tense because there is time to think and you are your own worst enemy. It's like anything, if you don't get it, you don't like it and you look foolish for knocking it. It is a rousingly popular thing to both watch and participate in, all aroound the world, whether or not it meets your lofty standards. The last day of the Masters, for instance, was one riveting day of golf. And I don't even play. I'm sure your interest are painfully dull as well, there, snob sister. But thanks for stopping by and showing off your disdain.
posted by umberto at 12:40 AM on April 15, 2011

Could have been worse. Could have named his first born Shauna.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 12:41 AM on April 15, 2011 [1 favorite]

I'm not sure, but I think passing comment about how disinclined you are to pass comment probably rates up there on the scale of boring passtimes. As umberto said, if it's not for you, move on instead of muddying the water.

I hope Rory has seen this. It might make him feel better. Not that he seems to be feeling too bad; he just shot 64 to tie for the lead in Malaysia at the halfway mark.
posted by The Ultimate Olympian at 3:13 AM on April 15, 2011

I always thought golf would be a lot more fun if they airlifted you to a remote wilderness location, and you had to use a map and compass to find your way to the next hole, some miles away. Scoring would be a mix between the completion time and the number of strokes required. Mountain bikes are permitted.

Also, your caddy is there to hunt you with a paintball gun. You have a 15 minute head start.
posted by Slap*Happy at 4:06 AM on April 15, 2011 [6 favorites]

Despite their respective disasters, Na and McIlroy displayed infinitely more grace than Tiger Woods and his ongoing quest to erase the tradition of gentlemanliness from the game of golf.
posted by fairmettle at 4:21 AM on April 15, 2011

Also, your caddy is there to hunt you with a paintball gun. You have a 15 minute head start.

If they did that, I may actually start being interested in golf...
posted by Skeptic at 6:03 AM on April 15, 2011

KevinSkomsvold: "Could have been worse. Could have named his first born Shauna"

Or Nana.
posted by bwg at 6:04 AM on April 15, 2011

I fail to see how Tiger Woods lacked grace in that interview. It seems like he answered mundane questions with equally mundane responses.
posted by cloeburner at 6:52 AM on April 15, 2011

Or Isaida.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 6:55 AM on April 15, 2011

Been there. Many times. Still, in shooting 80, he's multiple heads-and-shoulders beyond anything I could have shot on my imaginary bestest day evar.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:02 AM on April 15, 2011

"Could have been worse. Could have named his first born Shauna"

Or Nana.

Batman!
posted by grubi at 7:11 AM on April 15, 2011 [2 favorites]

I've never taken a sixteen, but then again I've never posted an 80. I've never taken a sixteen because I cheat, I've never had an 80 because I don't cheat enough.
posted by Keith Talent at 7:52 AM on April 15, 2011 [2 favorites]

I've never taken a sixteen because I cheat, I've never had an 80 because I don't cheat enough.

Yeah, that's my kind of golf. It's still pretty great.
posted by From Bklyn at 8:09 AM on April 15, 2011

X-treme woodland golf. I'd watch that. The par 30 Old Growth hole. The par 15 Field & Stream hole.
posted by stbalbach at 10:29 AM on April 15, 2011

grubi: ""Could have been worse. Could have named his first born Shauna"

Or Nana.

Batman"

Or (please don't hurt me) "Life is life!"
posted by bwg at 2:36 AM on April 16, 2011