David Duval makes a 14, doesn't hide from his score

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland – David Duval wasn’t going to hide from his score, one that he hadn’t come close to posting even during the darkest days of his career.

“You have an obligation as a professional to post your score,” Duval said Thursday. “I teed off in The Open today and I shot 90, so put it on the board.”

It was actually a 91. Duval’s score was raised by a stroke several hours after he signed his scorecard. The confusion surrounded the par-5 seventh hole, where Duval hit a wrong ball en route to a double-digit score.

He also lost two balls on the seventh, one of two new holes added to Royal Portrush’s Dunluce layout before The Open. His score was listed as a 15 when he completed the hole but was quickly reduced by two strokes. Officials later concluded it was a 14.

Duval didn’t duck the media after signing his scorecard. He said that he planned to return to Royal Portrush on Friday, as well. His scorecard also included a triple-bogey and quadruple-bogey.

His day got off to a promising start, with birdies on the first two holes. The trouble started at the downhill, drivable fifth hole.

“I played 5 improperly for me and lost a couple balls there,” said Duval, who made an 8 on the hole. He bogeyed the next hole, as well.

Things went awry two holes later. He lost his first two tee shots, and his third one went into the rough. A marshal told Duval he had located it, but it was the wrong Titleist 2.

“I didn’t check it close enough,” Duval said. “I mark my balls with a yellow dot because everyone uses red and black. I don’t see red well.”

He played almost the entire hole with the incorrect ball before realizing what had happened. He had to return to the tee and play the hole over again. After playing his first two holes in 2 under, he was 12 over when he arrived at the eighth tee.

Duval’s 14 was the highest score at The Open since at least 1983 (when the TOUR started keeping hole-by-hole records). The previous high was 11. That was accomplished by four players, most recently Henrik Stenson in 2011.

Duval made the turn in 49 after making a par on 8 and bogey on 9. He also bogeyed the first two holes of the back nine before making three consecutive pars. He bogeyed 15 and 16 before making a triple-bogey on the 17th hole. He parred 18 to shoot 91.

“I’ve posted 85 twice. I’ve never posted 90,” said Duval, who won the 1999 PLAYERS and 2001 Open Championship before his game went into a downward spiral. “It was a long day. It was a rough day.”

Duval has played four events this year, missing the cut three times and withdrawing once. He shot 77-72 to miss the cut at last week’s Korn Ferry Tour event, the TPC Colorado Championship at Heron Lakes. He said he saw promising signs in his game.

“Although my scores weren’t good, I drove the golf ball like I used to drive the golf ball,” he said. “Everything was there.”

He thought a top-20 finish was within reach this week if he got hot with the putter. Hacking so many shots out of the rough caused the tendinitis in his left arm to flare up, making it difficult to hold the club.

“It hurts like crap,” he said.

Duval was eight shots higher than the closest players on the leaderboard.

“It’s not reflective of anything I’ve been doing,” Duval said as his eyes appeared to water. “It’s just one of those god-awful, nightmare scenarios that happened today.”