Thursday, April 14, 2011

Oh Noh! Champ shoots one over

DEFENDING champion Noh Seung-yul of South Korea fired an eagle, but his six bogies saw him one-over 73 after the first round of the Maybank Malaysian Open.
Noh, who started from the first tee, was on song as he sank the eagle on par-five No 3, but his match collapsed on the back nine.
His three birdies were on the fifth, 14th and 18th, while his bogeys were on the sixth, ninth, 11th, 12th, 16th and 17th.
The 19-year-old was on the same flight with Major champions Louis Oosthuizen from South Africa and compatriot Charl Schwartzel.
Did it make him feel nervous?
"I wasn't feeling nervous, as I felt like it was just any other tournament. There was a huge crowd following us, and it was nice to have people cheering you.
"This was my first pairing with Louis, but I have played several times with Carl last year."
He branded his eagle as lucky: "I didn't hit my driver properly, but was lucky it landed on the fairway. I used a five-wood (265 yards), for my second shot and it landed 15 feet from the hole, and then I made it count," said Noh.
Noh, who had rested for one month before this tournament to heal his injured finger, said he felt tired on the course.
"My golf shots seem fine, but I felt tired while playing. I practiced a lot the last three days, and I think I need to rest today and bounce back tomorrow," said the Korean.