Oh No: Triple Bogey on 10th Hole Helps Turn Good Start Into a 76

Ted Oh said he was pumped up Thursday after making a birdie on the ninth hole of the opening round of the U.S. Open.

He made the turn with a one-over-par 35, a decent score for a pro in a tournament of this magnitude, outstanding for a 16-year-old.

But then it was “uh oh” for Oh on the par-four, 454-yard 10th hole, where he got a triple bogey. He eventually got three more bogeys and a birdie, finishing with a 76, six over.

But that was four strokes better than Mark O’Meara’s 80 and only one more than defending champion Tom Kite’s 75.

Oh, a sophomore at Torrance High, is not the youngest player ever to appear in the Open, but he is the youngest to hold a mass news conference.

“I was very nervous, but after a few holes I calmed down,” he said. “After the triple bogey, I kind of lost my patience.”

Oh said he had an appreciative gallery.

“They were great,” he said. “They were cheering for me, saying, ‘Don’t give up,’ and ‘Go, Ted.’ ”

Oh said he swung hard on the 10th tee, where he hit a snap hook into deep rough under a tree.

“Then, I just grabbed a club and swung at it, and it was really stupid of me,” he said. “I hit it through the fairway into deep rough on the other side.”

When he finally got on the green, Oh said: “I was mad. I’m 16.”

He was 35 feet away from the cup, where he said he “three-jacked it” (three-putted) for his seven.