Golf: Bad day for NZers at PGA

New Zealand golfers David Smail and Michael Campbell.

Michael Campbell looks destined to miss the cut while fellow New Zealand golfer David Smail is flirting with an early flight home after disappointing opening rounds in the PGA Championship at Hazeltine today.

Campbell buckled under the weight of three double bogeys and three bogeys in a score of an eight-over-par 80.

It left him in a share of 146th place, the small matter of 13 shots behind world No 1 and title favourite Tiger Woods.

Smail did slightly better as the Japan-based former New Zealand Open champion recorded a 75 that left him in a share of 95th position after a round that included 35 putts.

Campbell dropped his first stroke at the par-five third hole before slumping to three-over with a double bogey at the seventh.

The only bright spot of his round was at the uphill ninth hole that he managed to birdie.

But no sooner had Campbell teed off the 10th and he was staring at his second double bogey, followed by further shelled shots at the 12th and 14th before a third double at the par-three 17th.

The sight of Campbell's caddie Peter Coleman speaking with one of the European Tour's travel representative said it all as the wily British-born bagman already began making arrangements to return home early.

Smail recorded two birdies but also three bogeys along with a disastrous first hole double bogey.

"It was an awful start as I failed to find the fairway and then failed to find the green," he said.

" It just puts you on the back foot straight away but I managed to hang in there on a very difficult golf course.

" I got it back to two-over with a birdie at the 10th and after a bogey at 15, I've played the inward half in level par so that was nice.

" So to be three-over after four holes and to then finish at three-over with a 75 is not all that bad."

Smail said he had not given up hope of playing at the weekend.

"If I can eliminate some of the mistakes tomorrow I might just scrap into the last two rounds and that would be nice in my first PGA Championship."

- NZPA