Thursday 10 March 2016 22:18, UK
Jordan Spieth endured a poor start to the defence of his Valspar Championship title as he carded an erratic 76 on a windswept opening day at Palm Harbor.
Spieth, who edged out Sean O'Hair and Patrick Reed in a play-off at the Innisbrook Resort last year, bogeyed five of his first seven holes and managed only one birdie as he ended his round nine shots off the early lead on five over par.
The 22-year-old from Dallas, tied for 113th when he finished his round, said: "It was tough. Wasn't a very good round. I got off to a poor start and I was behind the 8-ball with gusty winds on a tough golf course.
"Unfortunately, right now on my off days - typically my history, I'm able to hold that around even par, and I'm just shooting too high a number.
"Hopefully less wind tomorrow and I can work hard to play on the weekend."
The world No 1 was particularly erratic off the tee, and set the tone for his round when he drove into a fairway bunker at the 10th - his first - and eventually had to hole a seven-foot putt to limit the damage to a bogey.
Spieth then scrapped his way up the long 11th and missed a six-footer for par, although he got one shot back when he rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt at the next.
But a wayward tee-shot to the short 13th cost him another bogey, and it took Spieth five strokes just to hit the green at the next as he ran up another untidy six.
Spieth did well to get up and down for his first par of the day at the 15th, but another shot went at 16 after he again put the gallery in danger with a blocked approach into the trees.
The Masters and US Open champion steadied the ship with a run of four pars, although he had to rely on his pitching prowess to avoid further damage at the 17th and second, but his putter then let him down at the third as a four-foot par-save slid past the cup.
Spieth continued to scramble hard over the closing holes and managed to par safely in, but he now faces a huge task to avoid missing the cut for the second time in his last three starts.
His opening 79 in the Northern Trust Open at Riviera was the worst first-round score of his PGA Tour career, and he failed to make the weekend despite bouncing back with a 68 on day two.
