British Open champion Stewart Cink overcame early anxiety after hitting a spectator in the head to surge into contention at the Tour Championship on Thursday.
The Atlanta resident struck a female fan above the eye with his opening tee shot at East Lake Golf Club before recovering to shoot a three-under-par 67 in the lucrative playoff event.
Boosted by four birdies in the first nine holes, Cink ended a sun-kissed day level with Tiger Woods and Padraig Harrington and a stroke behind pacesetting American Sean O’Hair.
PHOTO: AFP
“It was a pretty good start,” the 36-year-old American told reporters after a round featuring five birdies and two bogeys.
Cink, who won his first major title by beating compatriot Tom Watson in a playoff for the British Open in July, rued his opening blow of the day in the season’s final FedExCup event.
“My drive flew straight into a lady’s eye about eight yards right of the fairway,” he said. “It cut her on top of the eye, but she was sitting up and she had a wet towel. She was okay. She was talking and she was fine, but that still shakes you up a little bit.”
PHOTO: EPA
Although Cink dropped two shots on the back nine, he was delighted with his display on slick, rock-hard greens firming up in bright sunshine.
South Africa’s Retief Goosen is tied with Dustin Johnson and Steve Marino at 69. American Steve Stricker is featured in a seven-way tie at 70.
■SEVE TROPHY
REUTERS, VERSAILLES, FRANCE
Britain and Ireland held a slender 3-2 advantage over Continental Europe after Thursday’s opening fourball session in the Seve Trophy team event.
Debutants Anthony Wall and Chris Wood set the ball rolling for captain Paul McGinley with an overwhelming 6&5 victory over Swedes Henrik Stenson and Robert Karlsson.
Karlsson was playing his first competitive round for four months after suffering retinal problems in his left eye.
Although last year’s European No. 1 was the more successful of the two Swedes, the duo had no answer to Wall’s tally of one eagle and three birdies and the four birdies by the 21-year-old Wood as the Englishmen dovetailed perfectly.
Northern Irishmen Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell added the second point for Britain and Ireland as they overcame big-hitter Alvaro Quiros of Spain and Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen 4&3.
■CVS CHALLENGE
AFP, DANVILLE, CALIFORNIA
Sweden’s Sophie Gustafson, who is seeking her first win on the tour in six years, posted a seven-under par 65 to grab the first-round lead at the LPGA’s CVS Challenge on Thursday.
Gustafson leads South Korea’s Kim Na-ri, American Angela Stanford and Mexico’s Sophia Sheridan by two strokes in the US$1.1 million tournament at the Blackhawk Country Club course.
Taiwan’s Yani Tseng was tied for 10th at minus-three with Suzann Pettersen, Jennifer Rosales, Kim Welch, Karine Icher, Anna Grzebien, Maria Hjorth, Helen Alfredsson, Beth Bader and Kim Joo-mi.
Teresa Lu of Taiwan carded 71, followed by he compatriots Amy Yang at 72, Candie Kung at 73 and Amy Hung at 74.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
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