This wasn’t the start he was looking for, not by a long shot.

Fox Ridge Golf Club’s head professional and director of golf, Bob Darling, bogeyed his first two holes Thursday, setting the tone for a less-than-spectacular 11-over 81 on the first day of the Senior PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y.

Darling, who qualified for the tournament with a top-10 finish at last year’s Senior PGA Professional National Championship at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla., had high hopes going into the weekend.

Two quick bogeys and blustery conditions made short work of those hopes.

“Man it was tough,” Darling said. “The conditions weren’t very good to begin with. We’ve worn rain suits for the last three days, the wind’s blowing 30 miles per hour. I just watched Tom Watson shoot a 78 after being 2-under.”

Darling teed off in the first group of the day at 7:30 on the 10th hole. He bogeyed the 429-yard, par-4 10th and the 188-yard, par-3 11th to begin his round.

Darling appeared to steady the ship as he rattled off three consecutive pars, but he finished his first nine with bogeys on three of four holes to carry a 5-over-par 40 into his second nine.

“I had a couple of birdie putts there on the front,” Darling said. “I started hitting the ball pretty decent, but I missed a couple of short putts, which is never any good.”

Things didn’t get any easier after the turn, either. After two bogeys on the next four holed, darling posted a double-bogey 6 on the 428-yard, par-4 fifth, and another on the 461-yard, par-4 seventh.

“The rough out here is at least three or four inches high and thick,” Darling said. “Of course the greens are fast, but we expected that. It’s just such a penalty to get into that rough.”

Darling managed a birdie on the eighth, his 17th hole of the day, by sinking a 20-foot putt, but bogeyed the ninth to complete his round at 11-over, 12 shots back of leader Jay Haas.

“Tomorrow’s another day,” Darling said. “It’s an awful lot of fun, I’ll tell you that. It’s quite an experience.”

Another player likely familiar to local golfers had a better day. Kirk Hanefeld, a Maine Open champion from Bolton, Mass., was among the leaders in the morning session, and finished at 1-over 71, well within the projected cut line.

Darling’s second round – and last of the week unless he can muster a comeback – begins at 12:30 p.m. Friday on the first tee.