Rónán MacNamara in Portrush
Five is better than eight…
Rory McIlroy didn’t quite start off without a hitch on his opening hole of the 153rd Open Championship, but a nervy three-putt bogey was a worthwhile price to pay to avoid going out of bounds.
McIlroy’s tee shot set the tone for the day and was the precursor for some early struggles. The Holywood man missed the fairway to the left on the first, second, fourth and fifth holes but somehow managed to get through that period in one-under.
The loosey lefties continued but still McIlroy plugged away, moving to three-under after birdies on the seventh and tenth. But Portrush soon bit back and missed fairways cost him bogeys on the 11th, 12th and 14th as he threatened to throw away a good score.
All in all, McIlroy got his drive away on the first but it was just another of a barrage of missed fairways, hitting just two on the day.
He answered more questions than he hit fairways in his post round press conference which lasted two minutes and 26 seconds.
McIlroy failed to hit the fairway on the first all week in practice, even hitting it out of bounds twice, so perhaps a ripper down the middle tomorrow will set the tone for a better day off the tee.
Westwood, Garcia and co can still do it
At one stage today Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson all led the Open. If you want to really stretch this narrative to the maximum, yes, you can say Pádraig Harrington led the 153rd Open Championship too after he opened with a sensational birdie just before 7am.
Westwood (52) and Mickelson (55) are both in their fifties and enjoying life on the LIV Golf tour. They are somewhat forgotten in the eyes of the modern golf fan, Westwood especially. But, for now, they are in contention and they aren’t the only dads looking to take down the lads this week.
Lucas Glover, a 2009 US Open champion, and now a 45-year-old veteran is playing the golf of his life over the last two years and at two-under he is right in the mix at the final major of the year. As is Sergio Garcia (-1) who might have had one if not two Claret Jugs had it not been for Pádraig Harrington in 2007 or Rory McIlroy in 2014. Also 45, the Spaniard sealed his Open spot alongside Westwood at final qualifying.
Former Masters and Open champion Zach Johnson is in red figures after a 70 but one of the big shocks of the day came from 53-year-old Justin Leonard.
The 1997 Open winner is one-under-par and just three off the pace.
The golden oldies stood out and they won’t fear the young pups and neither does Harrington…
“No, not a bit. No envy of any of the good players, the young guys, the way the game has gone, the money in the game, nothing like that. I did exceptionally well, and the guys before me would have had — I’ve done better than them. It’s just the natural way it goes.
“I still try and fight it. I still try and play hard, work hard. My good shots are every bit as good as everybody else’s good shots.”
“Yeah, I don’t see why I can’t play great golf, and I enjoy doing it. That’s the beauty of it. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
English aiming to be top Brit
Harris could become the first Englishman to win the Open Championship since Nick Faldo in 1992………..
Slow Play
Dear Nelly Korda,
If you think the pace of play issue on the LPGA Tour is out of control, I hope you weren’t watching the Open Championship today.
It turned into a race against time to get rounds finished before the six hour mark. Even Harrington and co in the opening group couldn’t beat the five hour mark. A dismal look for golf.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
As of Thursday morning, proposals have been put forward to re-name the 16th hole Calamity, ‘Calamity Pete’ after the man who has never worked a day in his life but works every day took an unfortunate tumble.
Finnan, a true showman added a performative climax to his trip, ending what was an absolutely hilarious accident with some wonderfully choreographed pencil rolls.
His personal journey back from the injury hell of a sprained ankle will be regularly documented on upcoming podcasts.
Stay strong, Pete.
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