Luiten rues late nerves

Joost Luiten: Sloppy end to his first round cost him four strokes

Joost Luiten admitted nerves got to him towards the end of what could have been a dream start to the USPGA Championship.

Luiten looked to be on course for the first round lead when he made it to eight-under with four to play at Kiawah Island, but his chances were derailed by a sloppy finish.

The Dutchman had six birdies and an eagle on his card when he stood on the 15th tee, but what followed was ugly at best with four bogeys meaning a round of 68 and merely a top-10 finish.

He said: "I played really well and then to finish the round with four straight bogeys is not a good feeling.

"But it has been a good experience and I just have to take that into the next rounds and try to stay positive.

"It was a great feeling to be out there with the crowds cheering me on and playing so well in a major.

"You can't deny that you get nervous when you start playing so well in a major and take a big lead but I was just a little bit too aggressive with my putts on six and seven.

"I was in the birdie mode and when you are thinking like that all you want to do is to try and make more birdies. The two putts on six and seven I should really have lagged them to the holes and made the pars.

"Those were unnecessary bogeys and then I just hit two iron shots in the wrong spots on the eighth and ninth and you make bogeys when you do that on a golf course like this."

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