Candie Kung Struggles, Shoots 80 at Mission Hills

RANCHO MIRAGE — Candie Kung shot one of her worst rounds in recent memory, an eight-over-par 80 Thursday in the first round of the Nabisco Championship at Mission Hills Country Club.

Kung, a graduate of Fountain Valley High and current USC freshman, hit only five greens in regulation despite hitting 10 of 14 fairways.

“It’s a pretty good score for only hitting five greens,” said Kung, who laughed about the round afterward. “I was hitting left, right, short and long. I wasn’t nervous at all, I just had a bad day.”

Kung, the fourth-ranked collegiate women’s golfer in the nation, is playing the Nabisco on a sponsor’s exemption. She couldn’t remember the last time she did not break 80. “It was a long, long time ago,” she said. “Maybe my first 10 rounds [of competition] but not after that.”

The plan for today? “Just go out there and have fun,” Kung said, laughing. “And try to shoot 62 to make the cut.”