Three time Wimbledon runner-up Roddick stroked his first shot on the greens with the help of a hybrid and not with the customary driver. After doing so he moved outside the ropes of the gallery, the fans started chanting his name and also carried him on their shoulders.   

The 2003 US Open champion said: “That was fun. But I almost went past vertical so I was a little worried. I’m just thankful they let me get away with hitting a hybrid. I’ve heard they can be tough.”

The American has never participated in a golf event, until his chance came during the weekend at the 2013 AT & T, where he teamed up with John Mallinger, a PGA tour pro. While Mallinger was able to make the cut, his pairing with Roddick failed to repeat the feat.

On being asked the obvious question of comparing his experience of playing both tennis and golf in a competitive environment he replied: “It’s tough to compare. In tennis, on my worst day I still knew what I was doing. Here, probably half the people in the stands could hit a ball better than I could. That wasn’t true in tennis.”

He added:  “I know enough about one sport that you’re not going to be that good if you do something half the time or for fun. When amateurs talk about, ‘I could be a pro,’ it’s harder than you think.”

He stated that he was taking his golfing career pretty seriously: “I play a lot, three or four times a week. Athletes are kind of trained to enjoy the process of getting better. I enjoy doing this. It’s nice to be able to hang with friends. I loved playing here. I just wish I could have played a little better.”