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St Andrews - Facing a group of puzzled Open spectators, his back to the flag, Kevin Kisner banged one ball off the stone wall alongside the 17th hole.
Then another.
Both came up a little short of the green.
"You've got to hit it harder than you think," the 31-year-old American said Monday, breaking into a grin. "It didn't come flying back as quick as I thought."
On his first trip to Scotland, Kisner spent some time Monday working on a shot that he'd never tried before - except maybe at a putt-putt course.
He tossed a couple of balls next to the wall that runs down the right side of the famed Road Hole - preventing a backswing when facing the hole - and attempted to ricochet them onto the green.
He'd seen video of Miguel Angel Jimenez pulling off the shot at the 2010 Open.
Kisner wasn't able to duplicate it, swinging a little too tentatively because he didn't want his ball to scoot all the way across the green and into the treacherous bunker on the opposite side of the hole.
"I figured I might as well try it," said Kisner, who has lost three playoffs this season and is still seeking his first PGA Tour victory.
"You never know if you're going to need it."
Kisner was among those who arrived Monday morning on a cross-Atlantic flight after playing in the John Deere Classic. He was clearly jet-lagged but couldn't resist a chance to get a look at the home of golf, walking seven holes with only a wedge and some balls.
"Man, what a place," he said, gazing at the St. Andrews course from behind the first tee, the sun breaking through the clouds after a mostly dreary day. "This is cooler that we even expected."
As for the Road Hole, Kisner would prefer to keep the wall out of play.
"Hopefully," he said, "I don't have to attempt that shot anymore."
