Choi shoots 75 on tough Masters first day

Korea's K.J. Choi was given a stark reminder of Augusta National's notoriety when he settled for a three-over-par 75 in the first round of the Masters Tournament on Thursday.

Choi, a graduate of the Asian Tour and now a four-time winner in America, was cruising at level par through 16 holes before suffering late lapses with three dropped shots over his closing two holes. The Korean is predicting another hard day in the office for Friday's second round if the course remains fast and dry but he has vowed to fight on.

Compatriot Yang Yong-eun, making his Masters debut, fired an identical 75 as the Korean duo ended the opening day of the year's first Major in a share of 28th place

"It was good until the last hole where I had a double bogey. My game was generally good. The 17th is such a difficult green and I had no chance from where I was and three putted for bogey," said Choi.

He compounded his woes by giving away what might be two costly strokes on 18. After sending a wayward drive into the woods, Choi, who was third in the 2004 Masters, worked his way up to the greenside but dumped his third shot into a bunker after being distracted by a spectator's coughing.

"Someone coughed on my back swing and I put the ball into the bunker. It's okay, that was good timing!" he smiled.

"It was tough to control the irons out there as the greens are a lot harder now. The wind also made it tough on us as it kept changing directions. In the practice rounds, the direction of the winds was different.

"If we don't get any rain, the greens will become firmer and it'll be harder to shoot a low score."

Choi was delighted to see India's Jeev Milkha Singh, the Asian Tour's UBS Order of Merit champion last season, force his way up the leaderboard by moving to three under par at the turn before dropping back to 72.

"It was good to see Jeev move to three under at one stage. It was fantastic. I'll follow his progress closely. I'm happy to see the Asians playing well so far," said Choi.

Yang, famed for beating Tiger Woods in the HSBC Champions Tournament in Shanghai last year, endured a frustrating back nine with one double bogey, three bogeys and two birdies.

The Korean strongman was dumbfounded by the lightning-quick greens at Augusta National. "Whenever I had a long putt, I couldn't relax," said Yang. "The greens were difficult to read as they were firm and fast.

"It was a good first experience at the Masters and I think I have gained some experience and will keep trying again tomorrow. It was actually thrill to be on the edge all the time when you're playing this golf course."

April 5, 2007

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