Daniel Brown will never forget his big championship debut. In the dusk at Royal Troon, he made birdies on two of the final three holes on Thursday in The Open, giving him a 6-under 65. There were just enough people remaining to rejoice with him.
Shane Lowry, who went bogey-free for a 66 and his best start in 46 majors, was now trailing him by one stroke.
At least Lowry knew what to anticipate from an opposing wind that appeared to take everyone by surprise. The Irishman encountered the winds when he arrived in Troon two weeks ago, and it paid off nicely.
Brown caught everyone off guard.
A former champion on the DP World Tour, he came to Royal Troon having missed the cut in seven out of eight tournaments from March until a few strong performances. One came in the Scottish Open, where he made the cut and ended 61st, and the other was in the final qualifying to secure a berth in his maiden major.
However, the wind was the main focus of this day; although it was strong, it was unique. It was difficult from beginning to end, as opposed to players attempting to make a score on the front nine that faced the wind and holding it together on the way back.
That’s certainly what Rory McIlroy thought. With two consecutive double bogeys, he shot 78. Similarly, Bryson DeChambeau, the winner of the U.S. Open, had a 76 after going out in 42. The 48-year-old Tiger Woods finds every major difficult; his best start in a major since an 80 at the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay was a 78.
“While enjoying the warm reception and telling himself that it was just a single day, Lowry powered through his shot, performing as well as he had all year. He was aware of what to anticipate, though.”Lowry said.
Even if his score doesn’t indicate it, Justin Thomas is off to a fantastic start in Scotland for the second week in a row. He felt that he played better since the misses at Troon are penalized more harshly than they are at other courses. He scored 62 last week at the Scottish Open, now he had a 68.
Xander Schauffele, the PGA champion, and Justin Rose, who shot bogey-free and with a better sense of respect for this Open after having to go through a 36-hole final qualifying round just to get in, was among the group at 68.
Masters champion Scottie Scheffler found it challenging enough after fighting his way to a 70, let alone the odd downpour.
“I’m not sure whether confused is the appropriate term; it’s definitely tough, especially in the wet. It’s astonishing how short a wet ball goes when played into the wind. I hit a hold 5-iron today, which typically travels around 205, and I had 165 to the pin off a tiny upslope, I believe it was No. 2. It probably went, at most, 155. I striped it.”Scheffler said.
Around the turn, Lowry, who won the Open at Royal Portrush five years prior, found his rhythm. He made birdie on the 7th hole from around 10 feet away, and at the par-3 8th hole ; the infamous “Postage Stamp” he shot a wedge to 10 feet, causing an incredible amount of damage for a 123-yard course.
Along with two significant pars, he holed a 25-foot putt on the tenth and a 20-foot birdie putt on the eleventh to go to 4 under. For his 66, Lowry closed off his round with a wedge to 5 feet.
Lowry kept reminding himself that it was just Thursday as the cheers became louder.
“I thought the audience was becoming really enthusiastic outside for some reason. It seemed more like the weekend, it was late afternoon, and there were a few pints of Tennents being enjoyed outside. I simply reminded myself that there was still work to be done and that there weren’t many days left. As a result, I kind of stayed in my comfort zone, made some excellent shots, and was generally satisfied with how I conducted myself.”he said.
During his earlier round of play, Thomas was 4-under through 11. All he had to do was work hard to maintain a high score on his card.
On the challenging 12th hole, where a penalty drop was necessary, his tee ball ended up in a bush. He missed a 4-foot putt, making double bogey. On his subsequent drive, he made a crazy leap into the deep grass, causing his caddy to cry out for assistance to the gallery. After a while, they located it, but it led to bogey.
