A Trying Debut for Tryon

The PGA Tour’s youngest rookie received a rude welcome Thursday in the Phoenix Open.

Seventeen-year-old Ty Tryon figured the toughest part of his debut would be nerves. He also had to deal with cold, blustery conditions, and a golf swing that went on recess during a front nine that left him numb.

“The more bad shots I hit, the more nervous I got,” he said.

Tryon recovered with a birdie on his final hole for a six-over-par 77. Only one other player fared worse in the opening round, although Tryon was hardly concerned.

Neither was the man 13 strokes ahead of him, Steve Flesch, who ran off four consecutive birdies and wound up with a 64 for a one-stroke lead over Duffy Waldorf.

“Believe me, he won’t shoot many 77s,” Flesch said. “I saw Q-school on TV when he shot 66 with everyone watching. Today was knocking a little rust off, getting through that first PGA Tour round. He’ll be fine.”

Tryon concurred.

“I had to go through the toughest part, I guess,” he said. “It might get a little easier from here, but I’m happy I went through it. You’ve got to experience the bad shots.”

In that respect, he gained a lot of experience Thursday.

He didn’t hit a fairway until his eighth hole, and that was with an iron. He didn’t have a birdie putt on any of the par fives. Birdie opportunities were scarce.

His round ended with a 20-foot birdie putt that he tracked all the way into the cup, giving a faint fist pump and a smile.

“It was a tough day,” he said. “It was windy, cold, I was nervous and I was hitting shots that I didn’t want to hit.”

Vijay Singh had a 66 and was joined by Matt Kuchar, Skip Kendall and Tom Lehman. Mike Weir and Cameron Beckman were among those at 67. John Daly, Fred Couples and Charles Howell III were at 68.

The only score worse than Tryon belonged to Dudley Hart, who had an 80.