Retief Goosen played the shot of the day at the British Open on Thursday but the last thing the South African wanted to do was talk about it.
Goosen's masterstroke came after he deposited his second shot to the 559-yard 17th in a greenside bunker with his ball coming to rest almost flush up against the trap's sheer face, leaving him with no stance.
After several minutes thought, he finally managed to work out a way to play the shot with his right shoe in the sand, directly behind the ball, and his left knee supported by the edge of the trap.
He then proceeded to flip his escape to within two feet of the pin, leaving him with a tap in for a birdie four that moved him to three under for the tournament.
A solid par at the last ensured that is where he finished and his 67 leaves him firmly in the hunt for a first Open triumph to add to his two US Open titles.
By any standard, it was a good afternoon's work but Goosen clearly did not want to dwell on it, turning down a request for an interview from host broadcaster the BBC before delivering a similar snub to a group of waiting reporters.
Ernie Els was in equally taciturn mood after his 69, which ended in frustration with a bogey on the final green.
But 21-year-old Branden Grace was more forthcoming after he matched Goosen's 67 on his major debut.
"It has been really good so far," the European Tour rookie said. "I've had a lot of support from my family, who have come down to the tournament.
"I never thought that, at this age, I'd be here so it is just like a dream come true.
"Luckily for me, I've had a good round. I just kept it together and kept the nerves down, so it was good."
Grace was level par after 14 holes but surged up the leaderboard with a two at the 206-yard 15th and an eagle three at the 17th.
"I had been a bit scared going into the back nine because I'd hit it really good going out and the putts just would not drop.
"I got a little frustrated but I kept telling myself that I'm at the Open and just to enjoy it.
"The finish got me back into it and I had another chance on the final green. The putt just slipped away but I'll take 67 for an opener."
Grace's day could not have been further removed from that endured by his compatriot Jaco Ahlers, who was propping up the leaderboard after a disastrous 83 on what was also his Open debut.
Ahlers, making his first visit to Britain, followed a six on the 15th with a quadruple bogey eight on the next hole to leave himself with virtually no chance of avoiding the cut on Friday.
Copyright 2009 AFP Global Edition
