PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — Sunlight streaked through a few low-hanging clouds when Padraig Harrington opened the British Open with a piercing 3-iron into the wind. Darkness began covering Royal Portrush nearly 16 hours later Thursday night when the final group trudged off the 18th green.
One of the longest days was also among the more fickle in the 165 years of this major.
Five players from five countries tied for the lead at 4-under 67, the biggest logjam in this championship since 1938. There was sun and there was rain, a wee breeze and big gusts, and the Open wasn’t even three hours old.
The one predictable part Thursday: Scottie Scheffler right in the mix.
And what make the massive throng at Royal Portrush tolerate rounds that approached six hours was seeing their favorite son, Rory McIlroy, birdie the 17th to recover from a bad patch on the back nine and join the 31 players who broke par.
Former U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick of England handled the notorious “Calamity Corner†par-3 16th by chipping in for birdie. Harris English, the unflappable American whose served 20 years ago, put his short-game coach on the bag and made seven birdies.
They were joined by Li Haotong of China, Christiaan Bezuidenhout of South Africa and Jacob Skov Olesen of Denmark.
One shot behind was Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player who has not finished out of the top 10 in the last four months, a stretch that includes another major among three wins.
McIlroy made bogey on the opening hole with an entire country behind him — that — and overcame three bogeys in a four-hole stretch with a key birdie on No. 17 that allowed him to break par at 70.
“Certainly dealt with it better than I did six years ago,†said McIlroy, who hit only two fairways. “I was just happy to get off to a good start and get myself into the tournament.â€
Scheffler only hit three fairways in his round of 68.
It’s not that golf’s best were necessary wild off the tee. There was that small matter of weather, often the greatest defense of links golf, which brought the occasional rain, the constant wind and rounds that nearly last six hours.
That’s why Scheffler seemed perplexed about so much attention on his accuracy off the tee.
“You’re the second guy that’s mentioned that to me,†Scheffler said. “I actually thought I drove it pretty good. I don’t know what you guys are seeing. When it’s raining sideways, believe it or not (it’s) not that easy to get the ball in the fairway.
“Really only had one swing I wasn’t too happy with on the second hole,†he said. “But outside that, I felt like I hit a lot of good tee shots, hit the ball really solid, so definitely a good bit of confidence for the next couple of rounds.â€
There also was his 4-iron to 3 feet on the 16th for birdie, the start of birdie-birdie-par finish.
But no one could go extremely low.
Olesen, the British Amateur champion last year, was the first player to get to 5 under until a bogey at the last. Bezuidenhout was the only player from the afternoon wave to join the crowd at the top.
Fitzpatrick reached a low point in his game at The Players Championship and appears to be back on track, particularly with what he called a well-rounded game in tough conditions on these links. He is coming off a tie for fourth last week in the Scottish Open.
The chip-in was his highlight, from well below the green to the right, into the cup on the fly.
“A bit of luck, obviously,†Fitzpatrick said. “Sometimes you need that. It just came out a little bit harder than I anticipated and on the perfect line.â€
Li might have had the most impressive round, keeping bogeys off his card, by holing a 10-foot par putt on the final hole.
Another bogey-free round belonged to 44-year-old Justin Rose, in the group at 69 that included 52-year-old Lee Westwood, former Open champion Brian Harman and Lucas Glover, who was tied for the lead until a pair of bogeys early on the back nine.
Harris walked along with Ramon Bescansa, a former player, occasional caddie and mostly known for teaching putt and chipping.
Eric Larson, who has caddied for English the last eight years, was denied a new travel visa required for the UK. Among the red flags is anyone serving more than 12 months in prison. Larson served 10 years for conspiracy to distribute cocaine, a case of knowing friends in the Midwest who wanted it and people in south Florida who had it.
Bescansa caddies for Abraham Ancer on LIV Golf, who didn’t qualify for the Open. English is in a crucial stretch of the season as he tries to make the Ryder Cup team. The lanky Georgian isn’t bothered by much, and he’s handled the disruption with ease.
The golf has been pretty steady, too
“Was looking forward to coming to this week, and immediately after playing the course, I really liked it,†said English, who didn’t qualify for the Open when it was at Portrush in 2019. “I loved how it frames the tee shots and you get to see a lot more trouble than you would on a normal links course.â€
For everyone, the hardest part was staying dressed for the occasion. There were sweaters and then rain suits, and some finished their round in short-sleeved shirts. This is what is meant by “mixed†conditions in the forecast.
Defending champion Xander Schauffele had a mixture of birdies and bogeys that added to an even-par 71. Shane Lowry, the last Open champion at Royal Portrush in 2019, had the nerves of someone hitting the opening tee shot. He handled that beautifully, along with most other shots in the worst of the weather in his round of 70.
And this might just be the start.
“We’re going to get challenging conditions over the next few days,†Lowry said. “Today, for example, the 11th hole was like the worst hole to get the weather we got in. ... I think there’s going to be certain times in the tournament where that’s going to happen, and you just need to kind of put your head down and battle through it and see where it leaves you.â€
Padraig Harrington, a two-time Open champion, had the honor of the opening tee shot for the 153rd edition of this championship. He made birdie. And then he shot 74.
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