Bernhard Langer's had his fears realised today as his son Stefan crashed to a first-round 98 in the KLM Open at Zandvoort.

The 17-year-old plays off a handicap of plus one but is making major changes to his swing and has been struggling for the past few months. "I was afraid it might happen," Langer senior admitted after carding a 67 on his return to action following surgery to remove kidney stones.

"I knew he was not playing well the last few weeks or months even. He is trying to make some changes but if you hit it sideways here, you're going to lose some balls."

Exactly that happened on the par-five second, Stefan's eleventh hole of the day. After covering the back nine in 45, the teenager bogeyed the first and then lost two balls off the second tee.

His third tee shot was found but was in an unplayable lie, giving him another trip back to the tee to play his seventh shot. It looked like he would not be able to break 100 but, watched by his father, the youngster holed from 35ft for par on the ninth to at least finish in style.

"There are two ways to react," added Langer, who celebrates his 50th birthday next Monday and will make his seniors debut in that week's Champions Tour event at Pebble Beach.

"You either stick in or put your head in the sand and give up. I don't think that's what he is made of but we will find out. I think he should go out tomorrow and try to enjoy it and keep working on his game.

"The last two months he has struggled tremendously, six months ago when I committed to this event he was playing a lot better."

Stefan, who caddied for his father when he partnered Marcel Siem to victory in the World Cup in Barbados last December, said: "It's discouraging but I will stick with it. Obviously I didn't score as well as I would like to but I hit only one fairway and not many greens and you can't score like that.

"This is probably one of the most punishing courses out there if you miss the fairway but I thought it was a good opportunity to learn and it's better than walking outside the ropes."

At the other end of the leaderboard, Japan's Taichi Teshima set the clubhouse target on six under par, one ahead of England's David Lynn and Swede Alexander Noren.

Lynn could at least sympathise with Langer after rounds of 75 and 80 left him next to last in the Scandinavian Masters last week. "The game has been getting on top of me and I've been showing my anger on the course, and that's one thing you need to curtail because it does you no good," admitted the 33-year-old from Stoke, winner of this event in 2004 and seventh here last year.

"I got a tip from one of the TaylorMade staff who told me to stand a bit taller to the ball and turning up to an event you've won before puts you in good spirits so there is some hope there."

Meanwhile, Tiger Woods has confirmed he will not compete in the HSBC World Match Play Championship at Wentworth in October, thus handing a place to Colin Montgomerie in the 16-man field.

The World No 1, knocked out in the first round by fellow American Shaun Micheel on his second appearance in the event last year, has joined Zach Johnson, Jim Furyk and Sergio Garcia in turning down his invitation.

That enables Montgomerie to qualify for another shot at the £1 million first prize thanks to his European Open victory last month. "I have had so many terrific experiences at the Match Play through the years that I would have hated to miss out," he said. "I am looking forward to October already."