Duodecupling

     Duffers of the world take comfort!  Every now and then, even the best golfers in the world suffer just like the rest of us do.  In yesterday's first round of the Valero Texas Open, Kevin Na suffered a horrific duodecuple bogey 16 at the par four ninth hole (why yes, it did take me a bit to come up with that term).  Video of his wilderness adventure can be seen above.  Highlights include two tee shots, hitting himself with a ricochet, at least two whiffs and an unplayable lie.  Na made a comeback of sorts, carding three under on the back nine to finish the first round with a smooth 80.  I've heard the term "snakebit" used for a golfer suffering these kinds of travails, but given the scrub he was hacking around in, it seemed like a literal possibility.  Na followed his 80 with a 77 during today's second round to miss the cut by a mile, but give him credit for being able to smile through it all.  He was wearing a microphone and his discussion with his caddy after extricating himself from the woods was priceless, as was his post round interview.

      With a few groups left on the course, Brendan Steele currently leads at -4, with five players tied for second at -3 including Rich Beem, Geoff Ogilvy, and Brandt Snedeker.  Beem, the 2002 PGA Champion, makes his first cut in six tries this season after off-season back surgery.

     Rory McIlroy found the perfect tonic to his Masters hangover, firing an eight under 64 in the second round of the Maybank Malaysian Open to tie for the 36 hole lead at -11 with Sweden's Alexander Noren.