Tryon starts career thirteen shots off lead

The PGA Tour's youngest rookie received a rude welcome Thursday in the Phoenix Open.

Seventeen-year-old Ty Tryon figured the toughest part of his debut would be nerves. He also had to deal with cold, blustery conditions, and a golf swing that went on recess during a front nine that left him numb.

``The more bad shots I hit, the more nervous I got,'' he said.

Tryon recovered with a birdie on his final hole for a 6-over 77. Only one other player fared worse in the opening round, although Tryon was hardly concerned.

Neither was the man 13 strokes ahead of him, Steve Flesch, who ran off four straight birdies and wound up with a 64 for a one-stroke lead over Duffy Waldorf.

``Believe me, he won't shoot many 77s,'' Flesch said. ``I saw Q-school on TV when he shot 66 with everyone watching. Today was knocking a little rust off, getting through that first PGA Tour round. He'll be fine.''

Tryon concurred.

``I had to go through the toughest part, I guess,'' he said. ``It might get a little easier from here, but I'm happy I went through it. You've got to experience the bad shots.''

In that respect, he gained a lot of experience Thursday.

He didn't hit a fairway until his eighth hole, and that was with an iron. He didn't have a birdie putt on any of the par 5s. Birdie opportunities were scarce.

His round ended with a 20-foot birdie putt that he tracked all the way into the cup, giving a faint fist pump and a smile.

``It was a tough day,'' he said. ``It was windy, cold, I was nervous and I was hitting shots that I didn't want to hit.''

It wasn't an easy day for anyone who played early.

The round began 15 minutes late because of frost, and the temperature was 41 degrees when play finally began. Fittingly, the best score of the morning group came from a Canadian, Glen Hnatiuk, who overcame bogeys on two of his first three holes for a 67.

``We were fortunate,'' Flesch said of starting in the afternoon, when the wind died and temperatures warmed considerably. ``We got the good end of the draw. Obviously, I'm sitting in a good spot.''

Vijay Singh had a 66 in his first round of the year and was joined by Matt Kuchar, Skip Kendall and Tom Lehman. Mike Weir and Cameron Beckman were among those at 67, while John Daly, Fred Couples and Charles Howell III were at 68.

Most of the attention was on Tryon, who became the youngest player to earn his tour card last year with a 66 on the final day of Q-school. About 500 gathered around the first tee and followed him along the TPC at Scottsdale.

The crowd tapered off toward the end of the round, but that was to be expected.

``I scared them off with my great performance,'' Tryon said. ``If I want a bigger crowd, I guess I've got to make some birdies.''

Birdies? At one point, par would have been a good companion.

He hit into a bunker on No. 10, his opening hole, and missed a 7-foot par putt. He badly missed the fairway to the right on his next hole, had to pitch into the fairway and took another bogey. On his first par 5, he sprayed his tee shot into the water.

Then, he showed his youth -- dipping a wedge into the water to retrieve the ball, cleaning it off and taking his drop.

``I tried to rake a trap, too,'' Tryon said. ``Hey, I'm a rookie.''

He knocked wedges over two greens, and finished his front nine by hitting into the bunker, blasting out about 50 yards short of the green and then three-putting from 30 feet for a double bogey. He went out in 43.

``The fairways looked the size of a street,'' he said. ``Once I made the turn, I was just like, you know, play as well as you can, forget about it. Can't do much worse.''

He rinsed another ball on the par-5 third hole to go 8 over for his round, then started showing the game that got him through all three stages of Q-school.

``The first nine, I just wasn't myself,'' Tryon said. ``I was really intense. And I just loosened up on the back and had a good time, talked a little more, just played golf.''

The only score worse than Tryon belonged to Dudley Hart, who had an 80. He can attribute that to taking an 11 on his ninth hole, No. 18, when he put three balls in the water.

It was Tryon's second tournament as a pro. He also played the Michelob Championship last year through a sponsor's exemption, missing the cut with rounds of 76-72.

Tryon first considered turning pro by skipping college -- and trying to finish his last two years at Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, Fla. -- after becoming the youngest player (16) in 44 years to make the cut in a tour event at the Honda Classic.

He also made the cut at the B.C. Open, and was tied for the lead after the first round.

This is his job now, and Tryon had a tough day at the office. Even after he signed for his 77, he still wasn't finished. He had to check with his tutor to get his homework assignment for the night.

``That will take my mind off this round,'' he said.

Divots

Mark Calcavecchia was inducted into the Phoenix Open Hall of Fame, the sixth player to get that honor since it began in 1985. Along with setting the PGA Tour scoring record for 72 holes last year, it was his third Phoenix Open victory. ... David Duval withdrew for personal reasons and was replaced by Pete Jordan, who had a 72. ... Playing with Ty Tryon was Greg Avant, a club pro from Chandler, Ariz. Avant, who had a 73, was not bothered by the large galleries following his teen-aged partner. ``Two years ago, I played with Casey Martin,'' he said. ``I was prepared for this.'' ... Phil Mickelson hit into the water andthe bunker on the 18th for a double bogey and had a 72.

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