Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009

Compiled from Kyodo, AP

LOS ANGELES — Teen sensation Ryo Ishikawa suffered a bout of stage fright and carded a 2-over 73 in the opening round of the Northern Trust Open on Thursday.

Shaky start: Ryo Ishikawa fires a 2-over 73 in the first round of the Northern Trust Open in Los Angeles on Thursday. KYODO PHOTO

Making his debut on the PGA Tour as a commissioner's foreign exemption, the 17-year-old made a dream start with a birdie on his first hole but struggled with his short-range putting and had two bogeys and a double bogey before picking up another shot on the 13th at the par-71 Riviera Country Club.

"My body was stiff through all 18 holes today," Ishikawa said.

"I have never had a day like this, it was a totally different kind of nervousness.

"I was looking forward so much to playing on this big stage but I can't say I enjoyed myself today," he added.

The Saitama native closed out 10 shots adrift of leader Phil Mickelson, who put together a bogey-free 63 for a one-shot lead.

Ishikawa, who attracts Tiger Woods-like attention in his homeland, drew a huge gallery after kicking off his round with a two-putt for birdie on the par-5 first.

But a wayward approach shot led to a bogey on the second and Ishikawa blotted his scorecard again after hitting a drive into thick rough on the fifth.

Ishikawa suffered another setback on the seventh with a three-putt for double bogey from around five feet but he regrouped to go 1-under after the turn, a wonderful approach shot setting up his second birdie of the day on the 13th.

"When it came to hitting my (short) putts straight I felt a bit rusty," said Ishikawa, who shot to fame in May 2007 when he became the youngest winner on the Japanese top-tier professional tour at the Munsingwear Open KSB Cup as a 15-year-old amateur.

"But if I can sink those sort of putts tomorrow then I will have a chance of making the cut. I'll try and attack the pins tomorrow."

With a flop shot that was amazing even by his standards, Mickelson took a step toward shaking off his West Coast doldrums with his best round ever at Riviera.

From 40 yards behind the 10th green, his ball buried in the rough and his landing area no bigger than a hub cap, Mickelson's barely cleared the bunker and settled 6 feet from the hole to start his day with a birdie.

"It was one of the better shots I've hit this year," Mickelson said.

That's not saying much considering this was the first time he has broken 70 on the Left Coast this year, where Lefty has compiled 16 of his 34 victories on the PGA Tour.

The rest of his game also was sharp.

The misses weren't nearly as wild, the putts dropped far more frequently and Mickelson picked up confidence with each of his eight birdies on a gorgeous morning off Sunset Boulevard.

"There's three more rounds to go," he said. "But I feel like I'm back on track."

Scott McCarron, so intimidated by Riviera when he played at UCLA, birdied his last hole for a 64 to give himself another chance at a tournament where he has twice played in the final group without winning.

The group at 66 included Pebble Beach winner Dustin Johnson and K.J. Choi.

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