Golf Digest:Little-known American Brandt Snedeker tied the PGA Tour record for the lowest nine-hole score in relation to par in the first round of the Buick Invitational over the North Course at Torrey Pines, in California.
Snedeker's nine-under 27 ties Billy Mayfair and Robert Gamez in the record books.
Starting at the 10th, Snedeker birdied six of his first seven holes and just for good measure threw in an eagle at the par five 14th by holing out with his wedge shot.
He could only manage a par at the short 17th, but then birdied the long 18th to be out in nine under.
In 2001, Billy Mayfair shot 27 on the back nine at Warwick Hills G&CC in the final round of the Buick Open, while Gamez achieved the feat on the front nine of Indian Wells CC in the third round of the third round of the 2004 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.
Heading for home, Snedeker, a 26-year-old from Nashville, Tennessee, birdied the par five first to get to 10 under, but he then had a frustrating run of seven pars before closing with a birdie four at the ninth to sign for na 11-under-par 61.
Remarkably, that left him only two clear of Korea's Charlie Wie, and three clear of Australia's John Senden, who was eight under.
Tiger Woods recovered from a stumbling start to fire an ominous - for the rest of the field - 66 over the North Course.
Four-time champion Woods, playing his first tournament of the year, bogeyed two of his first three holes before reaching the turn in three-under 33 on the par-72 North Course.
World number one Woods, who teed off at the par-four 10th in near-perfect scoring conditions, reeled off three consecutive birdies from the 14th to get to one under.
After hitting a massive drive at the par-five 18th, he struck a superb long iron to within three feet of the flag to set up an eagle-three.
The North Course at Torrey Pines is the easier of the two par-72 layouts hosting the fourth event on the PGA Tour.
SUNSHINE TOUR
DIMENSION DATA PRO-AM(at Gary Player Country Club and Lost City Golf Course, Sun City, South Africa) - Leading first round scores (Rsa unless stated): 66 - L Oosthuizen (GP). 67 - C Williams (LC), S Daniels (LC), B Vaughan (LC), R McGowan (Eng) (LC). 68 - C Davison (LC), B Davison (LC), M Murless (LC), T van Aswegen (LC), R Cairns (Aus) (LC). 69 - J Kingston (LC), D McGuigan (Sco) (LC), C Schwartzel. Irish: 72 - Padraig Dooley (Ire) (LC).
