Tournament favourite Brandt Snedeker slumped to his worst round of the year during a day of difficult scoring at the Australian PGA Championship.
On a day where only six players broke par in strong winds at the RACV Royal Pines Resort, the highest ranked player in the field slumped to a 12-over 84 to leave him 17 shots adrift of early pacesetter Zander Lombard.
Snedeker, coming in to the event off the back of consecutive missed cuts on the PGA Tour, opened his round with back-to-back blemishes from the 10th before following a double-bogey at the 12th with a triple-bogey seven at the next.
Further dropped shots at the 16th and 18th saw the American reach the turn in 45, with Snedeker's round going from bad to worse with bogeys at the second and third.
After posting his only birdie of the day at the par-four sixth, the world No 38 carded bogeys at the seventh and the ninth to see him break 80 for the first time since last year's Masters.
"It was just a horrible day," Snedeker told reporters. "There is nothing else to say. I wish I could put a spin on it.
"I think the conditions obviously played a part in it, but I think it was way more execution than it was conditions. When you're not firing on all cylinders and the wind is blowing the way it did out here, your mistakes are going to be exacerbated. Mine were."
Last year's Amateur Championship runner-up Lombard posted five birdies during a faultless 67 to hold a two-shot advantage over Mark Foster, who had considered pulling out after a disappointing display at last week's Alfred Dunhill Championship.
Todd Sinnott had temporarily topped the leaderboard after successive birdies from the 11th had moved the Australian six under for the round, but three double-bogeys over the next four holes puts him in a tie for fifth alongside compatriot Adam Stephens.
"I played really well, hit the ball solidly and it always helps things when you strike it well," Lombard said. "It definitely got tricky out there, some of the greens with the wind to read them and get the pace right was tough, but I think I managed it well.
Recent European Tour graduate Paul Dunne is joined in the group on level par by Tom Lewis, with the Englishman calling a one-shot penalty on himself at the last after his ball moved on the green as he was about to address his putt.
Ryder Cup hopeful David Lingmerth posted three birdies in a bogey-free back nine to join home favourite John Senden six shots off the pace, while Cameron Smith signed for a six-over 78 after running up a quintuple-bogey at the par-four 13th.
On a day where only six players broke par in strong winds at the RACV Royal Pines Resort, the highest ranked player in the field slumped to a 12-over 84 to leave him 17 shots adrift of early pacesetter Zander Lombard.
Snedeker, coming in to the event off the back of consecutive missed cuts on the PGA Tour, opened his round with back-to-back blemishes from the 10th before following a double-bogey at the 12th with a triple-bogey seven at the next.
Further dropped shots at the 16th and 18th saw the American reach the turn in 45, with Snedeker's round going from bad to worse with bogeys at the second and third.
After posting his only birdie of the day at the par-four sixth, the world No 38 carded bogeys at the seventh and the ninth to see him break 80 for the first time since last year's Masters.
"It was just a horrible day," Snedeker told reporters. "There is nothing else to say. I wish I could put a spin on it.
"I think the conditions obviously played a part in it, but I think it was way more execution than it was conditions. When you're not firing on all cylinders and the wind is blowing the way it did out here, your mistakes are going to be exacerbated. Mine were."
Last year's Amateur Championship runner-up Lombard posted five birdies during a faultless 67 to hold a two-shot advantage over Mark Foster, who had considered pulling out after a disappointing display at last week's Alfred Dunhill Championship.
Todd Sinnott had temporarily topped the leaderboard after successive birdies from the 11th had moved the Australian six under for the round, but three double-bogeys over the next four holes puts him in a tie for fifth alongside compatriot Adam Stephens.
"I played really well, hit the ball solidly and it always helps things when you strike it well," Lombard said. "It definitely got tricky out there, some of the greens with the wind to read them and get the pace right was tough, but I think I managed it well.
Recent European Tour graduate Paul Dunne is joined in the group on level par by Tom Lewis, with the Englishman calling a one-shot penalty on himself at the last after his ball moved on the green as he was about to address his putt.
Ryder Cup hopeful David Lingmerth posted three birdies in a bogey-free back nine to join home favourite John Senden six shots off the pace, while Cameron Smith signed for a six-over 78 after running up a quintuple-bogey at the par-four 13th.
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