Nightmare start for Devlin at Torrey Pines

From Brian Keogh in San Diego

Dream qualifier Chris Devlin made a nightmare start to his US Open bid at terrifying Torrey Pines.

The Ballymena ace, 33, saw his hopes of making the cut smashed when he racked up a horror quadruple bogey EIGHT at his first hole.

But there was worse to follow as he added four bogeys, a double bogey seven and just one birdie to crash to nine-over par with five holes to play.

Looking nervous as he started on the 414-yard 10th, the Alabama based Irishman snap hooked his tee shot out of bounds.

After reloading, he pushed his next effort into deep rough and could only chip back to the fairway.

A fine fifth to 25 feet gave him an outside chance of limiting the damage but he three-putted instead, running his first putt four feet past the hole.

Showing true guts, he steadied the ship and could have birdied the 11th and 12th before finally picking up a birdie at the par-five 13th from six feet.

But the punishing US Open set-up got its revenge as Devlin dropped five shots to par in as many holes to turn in 44.

At the 14th he sliced his drive onto the cart path, hitting a fan on the ankle and looking on in horror as the ball ricocheted further right.

He failed to save par from six feet and then bunkered his approach after missing the fairway at the 15th to slither to five-over for the day with another bogey.

After a two-putt par on the 195-yard 16th, he missed the 17th green by a yard and hacked his chip 40 feet past the hole.

Reeling now, he closed his opening nine by taking a double seven at the 18th.

Bunkered off the tee, he pulled his second into deep rough and could only move it a few feet before chipping out sideways and taking three more to get down.

Another bogey at the second left him on nine-over par.