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Park Chan-ho watches his putt line on the 17th hole during the first round of the Shinhan Donghae Open at Club 72 in Incheon on Sunday.

"I hit two home runs."

Park Chan-ho, 50, aka "Korean Special," who played as an invited player in the Korean Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Korean Tour's Shinhan Donghae Open (total prize money of 1.4 billion won), laughed as he said this. "In baseball terms, I feel like I hit a home run off Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds came out again," he said, showing off his trademark mouth.

Park carded a birdie, four bogeys, two double bogeys, a triple bogey and a quintuple (+5) bogey in the first round of the tournament at the Club 72 Country Club (par-72, 7204 yards) in Jung-gu, Incheon, on Sunday, shooting a 15-over-par 87.

He is tied for last place in the 138-player field as of 3:11 p.m. with play still underway.

Park, a rumored "golf nut," was playing in his first domestic professional event in a year and three months since the SK Telecom Open in June. He set out to shoot under 10-over par, but admitted it wasn't easy.

Park Chan-ho speaks to the media after the first round of the Shinhan Donghae Open at Club 72 in Incheon on July 7.

"Even though I have experience in tournaments, the nerves are different because I come out every now and then," Park said, "and when the gallery is quiet, you can hear my heart beating."

"I focused on practicing my short game, so that part went well, but as I'm getting older and losing strength, my tee shots are difficult," he said, adding, "It was difficult to get the first strike when I was a baseball player, and the first shot in golf is also difficult." He laughed.

He made a "quintuple bogey" on the 15th (par-4) and a triple bogey on the 18th (par-5), losing five strokes in one hole. If he had only bogeyed those two holes, he could have shot a sub-10-over par score.

Chan-ho Park tees off on the seventh hole during the first round of the Shinhan Donghae Open on July 7.

"I hit a shank shot (a shot that hits the tip of the head) out of the rough and got into OB and couldn't find the ball," Park said, adding, "Trouble shots are hard. Not everyone can be Tiger Woods," he said.

"I realized once again that golf is a game of humility and good scores come from humility. I admire the professional players for their high level of skill and know-how."

Still, Park says he's not going to stop challenging himself.

"It can be embarrassing to go to a golf tournament and perform badly, but what can you do when golf is good," he said, adding, "I have a strong desire to challenge the professional test, but my wife in the United States is telling me to come back soon."

The pitcher, who has won 124 games in the major leagues, "the most in Asia," said he will prepare for tomorrow's round with a positive attitude.

"Two holes ruined my day, but they can't ruin my life," Park said, adding, "I want to achieve my goal of under 10-over par tomorrow. I also want to make par on the two holes where I hit a 'grand slam' today. I will definitely catch them and put them in jail." He laughed.

고스톱; www.gostopsite.com