Michael Phelps Opens Play at Dunhill Links Championship in Tie for 160th Place

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland, October 4. MICHAEL Phelps struggled in the opening round of the Alfred Dunhill Links championship today, finishing 18-hole play at par and in a tie for 160th place out of 168 teams with tournament partner and professional golfer Paul Casey.

While most amateur golfers would enjoy the result of finishing a round of golf at par, Phelps is likely disappointed with today's performance in the Pro-Am competition, despite Tweeting that he had a “fun round.” He and Casey shot a 72 today on the Carnoutie Golf Course, well behind the 57 posted by leaders Branden Grace and Gaynor Rupert.

The tournament features 168 teams, each of which feature a professional golfer and an amateur player. Each duo plays a round of 18 holes for three days, rotating each day among the Carnoutie course, the Old Course at St. Andrews and Kingsbarn Golf Course. After three days of competition, the field will be cut to the top 20 teams for a final round of play at St. Andrews.

Phelps and Casey were one of three teams to post a par score today. Academy Award-nominated actor Greg Kinnear and pro golfer Shaun Micheel, as well as the team of Bernd Wiesberger and Willi Goldschmidt, also finished at par.

South African runner Oscar Pistorius, who made history as the first double amputee to run in the Olympics, finished 165th with a plus-2 score with partner Paul McGinley. Pop music artist Huey Lewis also found himself near the bottom of the leaderboard with a plus-1 score with partner Alvaro Quiros.

Phelps' performance comes a little more than a week after winning the less-competitive Ryder Cup Celebrity Scramble, and continues what he has called a tour of the world's top golf courses.

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use