Quintuple-bogey 10 leaves former No 1 Duval at bottom of pile

Mark Garrod
Saturday 08 April 2006 00:00 BST
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David Duval has been showing signs this year of emerging from his appalling slump - but not in the Masters this week.

After an opening 84 at the Augusta National on Thursday - his worst ever round here - the former world No 1 and Open champion, who fell outside the world's top 500 and stopped playing completely for seven months, ran up a quintuple-bogey 10 on the 575-yard second hole in yesterday's second round. That followed a double-bogey six at the first to leave him 19 over par and in last place of the 90-strong field.

If Duval played like an amateur on Thursday, the five amateurs at the Masters played like... amateurs. The US Amateur champion Edoardo Molinari, of Italy, failed to make a birdie while playing with the defending champion Tiger Woods and wound up with an 80. He was tied with the British Amateur champion Brian McElhinney, who at least birdied the 16th.

Clay Ogden, the US Amateur Public Links winner who beat Michelle Wie in the quarter-finals, took a quadruple-bogey eight on the ninth hole on his way to an 83, while US Amateur runner-up Dillon Dougherty shot 82. The US Mid-Amateur champion Kevin Marsh was the lowest-scoring amateur; no birdies in a 79.

Molinari had few complaints, spending the day before massive galleries while playing alongside Woods. The Masters traditionally puts the defending champion with the reigning US Amateur champion.

"I was lucky to win the US Amateur, and especially on the year I would play with Tiger," Molinari said. "It was really cool, and he was so nice. The most amazing experience I've ever had on a golf course. It beat my expectations by far."

The Masters awards a sterling silver cup to the best amateur, provided he makes the cut. It has been awarded each of the last three years, a run that looks to be over.

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