Brendon de Jonge shows correct way to rebound from big opening score

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – For those players who withdraw after a big score in the opening round, Brendon de Jonge showed what's possible at the Wells Fargo Championship. He opened with an 80, followed with a 62 to tie the course record at Quail Hollow, and at one point was only two shots out of the lead on Sunday. 

 

He wound up in a tie for sixth, worth $239,775 and 95 points toward the FedExCup. That could go a long way. 

 

Lesson learned? 

 

Maybe. 

 

"Curtis Strange nearly won the Masters after shooting 80, didn't he?" Geoff Ogilvy said, correctly remembering 1985. "Guys will remember it for a week or two. I don't think they'll remember it forever." 

 

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De Jonge is not one to WD, though it helped that he lives in Charlotte. 

 

"But to shoot 62? That's ridiculous," Jimmy Walker said. "How can you do that? It's golf, that's how you can. I've always felt like there's a chance. If I ever withdraw, it's because I'm legitimately hurt. I did that in the final round at Tampa one year because my neck went out. It's got to be really bad for me to quit." 

 

Ogilvy recalls being inspired by Tiger Woods in his pro debut at the Masters. Woods started the tournament with a 40 on the front nine. By Sunday, he had set the tournament record at 18-under 270 and won by a record 12 shots. 

 

"For a few years post-'97 Masters, if I shot 40 on the front nine and I would say, `Tiger shot 18 under after a 40 on the front nine.' I definitely thought about that when I was over par in early. You're never out of it. There's rarely an excuse to not play the next 18 if you can function."