Adam Scott is in danger of losing his new world No.1 ranking to Sweden's Henrik Stenson after an erratic start at the US PGA Tour's Crowne Plaza Invitational.
Teeing up for the first time since assuming the top spot from Tiger Woods on Monday, Scott had four bogeys in his first nine holes and battled to a one-over-par 71 at Colonial in Forth Worth, Texas.
That left the Australian tied for 64th, six shots behind American leader Dustin Johnson and needing a good second round to survive the halfway cut.
World No.3 Stenson is very close to Scott in rankings points and he's well-placed to jump to No.1 after making a strong start at the European Tour's flagship BMW Championship in England.
The Swede shot a four-under-par 68 to be tied eighth when play was suspended in the first round at Wentworth.
If Scott misses the cut in Texas the official projections say Stenson will pass him by finishing outright 29th or better in England.
If Scott makes the cut, he needs to match or be very close behind Stenson's finishing position in order to stay No.1.
Scott admitted before teeing off that he had added the tournament to his schedule ahead of the US Open partly to enjoy the experience of playing as No.1 and to attempt to shore up that position while also honing his game for next month's US Open.
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