Australia’s Nick O’Hern produced his best opening score in two years in shooting a seven-under par 65 early on the first day of the Shell Houston Open reports Bernie McGuire, Houston, Texas.
Aussie Nick O'Hern shoots 65 on day one of Shell Houston Open
The southpaw golfer from Perth in Western Australia didn’t drop a shot in ideal conditions on the Redstone Golf Club course.
It’s O’Hern’s best first round score since posting a 63 in the 2006 Frys.com and is a welcome return for the popular Aussie who was sidelined from for the rest of the 2010 PGA Tour season after undergoing double knee surgery.
As O’Hern finished well outside the top-125 on the money list, he’s playing under a medical exemption.
When coupled with the $US 398,633 he earned last year it means he has 16 events to earn $US 388,344 that when added together is the amount earned by the player who finished 125th last year.
“After having about seven to eight months off after Sawgrass last May, I had the injuries,” he said.
“I was hoping to get back on the horse a little quicker than I have but after missing a few cuts (the first three events of 2011), I have found the last few weeks my game has been coming around.
“I have been working hard on the range and the mind is in a lot better place and when you add all those things up, I think there is some good golf on the horizon.”
O’Hern first underwent ACL reconstruction on his right knee after having snapped a ligament some 20 years earlier.
“I had been playing on a poor right knee for a long time and when I lined up a putt one day at Charlotte (Quail Hollow Championship), I heard the left one ‘pop’ so I thought I would get both knees fixed,” he said.
“The recovery process is always fairly long from those operations but then it was good to spend some quality time with the family even though my wife wanted me to get out of the house after a few months.”
Four players were in second place at five under par including fellow Aussie Nathan Green and the American trio of John Rollins, Steve Stricker and Brendan Steele.
