Newcomer gets a dose of nerves that comes with playing in Woods’ group

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Patton Kizzire has won two PGA Tour tournaments since November and leads all golfers in FedExCup points. Though the 31-yearold still is a relative newcomer to the tour, those results make Kizzire a rather accomplished golfer.

Yet as he stood on the 10th tee to start his opening round of the Honda Classic on Thursday, batting leadoff in his 7:45 a.m. group consisting of Tiger Woods and Brandt Snedeker, the l i gaments in Kizzire’s knees liquefied from nervousness.

Kizzire tugged his tee shot some 30 yards left of the fairway and i nto a thick thatch of vegetation, where a searchand-rescue operation failed to locate his ball, leaving him to take that long, lonely ride back to the tee to re- hit while everyone waited and watched.

“It was my first time playing with [Woods ], so I expected a little nerves, and they were definitely there , ’ ’ Kizzire told The Post after shooting a 4-over-par 74 to Woods’ even-par 70. “I never could get settled in all day. But you’ve got to play with him for the first time at some point, so I learned a lot.

“It was just playing with Tiger Woods, who I’ve looked up to for so long and always dreamed about playing with and then there I was, and I was a little excited. It’s like a first date kind of thing. You get a little more excited and kind of settle in the more times you go.’’

When Kizzire got to the 11th hole, he said to Woods, “Why do you have to make me so nervous, man?’’

“He was really cool to me,’’ Kizzire said. “He didn’t want me to be excited, he wanted me to play like I could. It was fun. He was great to play with.’’

Kizzire called the first tee shot “definitely not an ideal start,’’ adding, “I didn’t even watch the ball, because I knew it wasn’t good.’’

He gets a second date with Woods on Friday when they tee off at 12:35 p.m.

“It’ll definitely be a little bit more comfortable,” Kizzire said, “because I’m used to it a little bit more than I was before I started today.’’

Kizzire l earned what many players over the years have learned: Playing in a group with Woods, though it can be an exhilarating rush, also can be a challenge because of the added commotion created by the distracting huge crowds that follow him wherever he goes.

Snedeker said he remembered playing in the final group in the third round in

2007 at Torrey Pines while Woods was playing in front of him.

“I saw the madness in front of me all day and realized, ‘ Holy crap, this is something different,’” Snedeker said. “The first time I played with him in a tournament was ’09 at BMW at Chicago, and he won by nine and the first couple holes were really nervewracking. I was supernervous. The second time I played with him I was like, ‘ OK, he’s just like the rest of us.’ He’s a welcom- ing guy, but there is an aura about him that you have to get used to.

“If you’re a first-timer playing with him I think you’re at a disadvantage, because you’re so amped up to play with him and it’s such a different, unique atmosphere for a Thursday morning. It took me two or three times to get used to being around it before I got used to it.’’

Rory McIlroy, who played alongside Woods in the first two rounds of the Genesis Open last week, said he believes it’s Woods who’s at a disadvantage because of the constant crowds following him.

“I swear, playing in front of all that, he gives up half a shot a day on the field,’’ McIlroy said. “It’s two shots a tournament he has to give to the field because of all that goes on around him. It’s tiring. I need a couple Advil … I’ve got a headache after all that.’’

When McIlroy’s comments were relayed to him, Woods said, “It’s cost me a lot of shots over the years. It’s cost me a few tournaments here and there. I’ve dealt with it for a very long time.’’

For Kizzire, Thursday was his first time.

As Kizzire ambled into the clubhouse following his round, a fellow player walked past him and said, “How’d you like the circus?’’

“I was just excited to be there,’’ Kizzire said. “I enjoy new experiences, and that was one of them today.’’

One he’ll never forget.