Nerves? What nerves? A 326 yard screamer. How’s that for your first ever tee shot at The Open Championship.
The bulk of the 300,000 strong crowd who pour through the gates at Royal Birkdale will be pulling for the likes of Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose and others of a GB&I persuasion. If any of them receive a roar on the first tee like Cork amateur David Howard did they will be doing well.
The Cork supporters must have swapped All Ireland Hurling final tickets for seats in the first tee grandstand.
It’s Howard’s big day. The culmination of an amazing golf story but also a truly inspirational life journey, which has been well documented this week and may have won over the hearts of some neutrals. But this is certainly a rebel takeover and a call to arms for Irish mammies.
The walk from the media centre to the first tee isn’t short, but as I scamper to get a good viewing spot adjacent to the grandstand I hear a distant “wooo” and I think that David must have entered the arena. It was a quintessential Irish mammy cheer.
It’s a nice three-ball for Howard. Off broadway as you would expect but in it is a familiar face in Tom Sloman who he played with on the Clutch Pro Tour a couple of times and New Zealand’s Kazuma Kobori. They wouldn’t have been expecting a near full grandstand.
“30 seconds” says the starter, Howard puffs out his cheeks. This is it.
“On the tee from Ireland, David Howard.” And here we go. A huge cheer echoes around the tee, bouncing off the surrounding infrastructure. It’s not the biggest first tee grandstand ever but it’s certainly loud. Howard takes one look at the blonde grass ahead of him and unleashes a magnificent drive, just how he wanted to hit it.
Another bellowing roar rises from the crowd. Then comes the highlight. For a moment in time the Open turns into a Cork hurling match as most of the crowd, and the Irish mammies, leap out of their seats to roar him on. Howard, a little sheepishly, encourages them to lift the noise.
And he’s off to take a very easy 326 steps with what looks like at least 100 supporters in Cork jerseys and Fota Island shirts. A couple of his backroom team have managed to blag their way inside the ropes.
The wedge shot into the green is pulled over the back and a slack putt leaves him 15-feet. Bang. In it goes. Par. To the huge acclaim of the Cork crowd. We’re off the mark. Put it up umpire.
It’s a very steady opening four holes for Howard who once again pipes one up the 2nd and makes an easy par. The third sees him hit the green in two but leave a mid range birdie effort a couple of feet short. Out comes one of the Irish mammies with a “wooo.” They’ll cheer for anything in Cork.
The two footer goes in without any fuss but I’ve never heard such a cheer for a two-foot par putt.
The first tee at The Open is always special and this was another memorable morning.
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