Rookie shoots 61 in PGA Tour debut

Brandt Snedeker knew the score. He just couldn't believe where he was.

The only time Snedeker had ever been 9-under par through nine holes was sitting in front of a monitor playing a Tiger Woods video game. He knew that wasn't the case Thursday in the Buick Invitational because Woods was two groups ahead of him on the North Course at Torrey Pines in San Diego, and well behind him on the scoreboard.

And when the 26-year-old rookie added yet another birdie, he even started taking away some of Woods' fans.

"I don't know if they know who I am or what was going on," Snedeker said. "But they were sure rooting me on like they were my best friend. It was great."

So was his opening round of the year.

Snedeker flirted with golf's magic number by reaching 10 under through 10 holes, before the birdies dried up and a 59 fell out of reach. He settled for an 11-under 61 that tied the course record and gave him a two-shot lead over Charlie Wi.

"The whole front nine was a blur," said Snedeker, who couldn't recall how he birdied some of the holes, much less what those holes even looked like. But he generated the biggest buzz at the Buick Invitational, where Woods opened with a 66 in his bid for a seventh straight PGA Tour victory and was reduced to a supporting role.

"To see the crowd kind of work their way back to me from Tiger was kind of nice," Snedeker said. "Seeing them rooting me on the last nine holes -- although I couldn't bring it in the way they wanted -- was still fun. I had a blast."

Woods had just knocked down the flag with a 5-iron for a short eagle putt on the 18th hole when he noticed a scoreboard on his way to the first tee that showed Snedeker at 8 under through seven holes.

"We thought it was a misprint," Woods said. "It came up again, so obviously it was not a misprint. That's some great playing."

His second thought must have been, "Who's Brandt Snedeker?"

He's the Tennessee kid with blond hair flowing under his visor, a former U.S. Amateur Public Links champion who turned pro after tying for 41st in the '04 Masters. He didn't get his PGA Tour card until finishing ninth on the Nationwide Tour money list last year, despite missing a month when he tripped over a tree and broke his right collarbone.

Snedeker quickly became the star attraction on a spectacular day in San Diego.

"The crowd going into today probably didn't have a clue who I was, and by the end of the day, I had people cheering my name and telling me to shoot 59 and stuff like that," he said. "It was a great way to break onto the PGA Tour."

European Tour

South Africa's Retief Goosen shot a 7-under 65 to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Qatar Masters in Doha, Qatar.

Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez and Australia's Nick O'Hearn opened with 66s, and India's Shiv Kapur had a 67. South African star Ernie Els, the 2005 winner, was in a group at 69, and England's Paul Casey, the winner last week in Abu Dhabi, shot a 72.

-- The Associated Press