The Open Championship demonstrated once more on Thursday that despite its 163-year history, it is still capable of delivering a few surprises.
Christo Lamprecht, a South African amateur who is as slender and as tall as a flag stick, made the first move when he shot a 5-under 66 to become the first amateur to share the lead after 18 holes at The Open in 12 years.
When local hero Tommy Fleetwood made three straight birdies on the back nine at Royal Liverpool to tie him for first place , the wonder about the 22 year old was replaced with glee. By sinking a birdie putt from 50 feet on the last hole, Emiliano Grillo of Argentina became the third golfer to record a score of 66.
Not to be forgotten were Jordan Spieth’s shank, Rory McIlroy’s missed 3-foot putt, and Justin Thomas’ bunker-to-bunker-to-rough shots, each further from the flag than the last. Thomas also posted his highest round in a major, 82, with a 9 on the 18th hole.
McIlroy was relieved to escape with a 71 despite his desperation to end his nine-year majors drought. Before making up for that tiny mistake on the eighth hole with a 40-foot birdie on the 14th that revived him, he ran the risk of the round slipping away from him.
And then, just as the bunkers on the 18th nearly derailed so many other rounds, it almost got away from him in the end when he left one in the pot bunker and skillfully escaped the second time to make a 10-foot par.
The top-ranked player in the world, Scottie Scheffler, made a score of 70 in the early breeze before it became a strong wind.
Jon Rahm, the winner of the Masters, experienced a period when he thought nothing was going his way, but it actually did. He hit what he believed to be a nice shot into the 18th hole, but it ended up in a bunker. This required him to play back towards the fairway, ruining his chance to make birdie. Rahm made a 74 to start.
After shooting a 72, a frustrated Shane Lowry commented, “This golf course does ask a lot of questions.”
Few clues were left behind after the longest day of 15 hours of golf.
After Tony Jacklin in 1969, Fleetwood aroused aspirations of becoming the first Englishman to win the Open Championship in England. Being fully aware of the gallery’s support for the long-haired lad raised roughly an hour up the coast, he held his own expectations in check.
“This was my first day, thus it was a good one. I only want to keep putting in the effort, playing, and positioning myself. Naturally, eventually it will be my turn.” stated Fleetwood.
The biggest shock for everyone , aside from 6-foot-8 Lamprecht (2.03 meters) , was seeing an amateur at the top of the leaderboard in the year’s last major. He earned qualification by winning The Amateur at Hillside, a links course on the Lancashire coast north of Liverpool.
“The only nerves I felt all day were before the first tee shot. Lamprecht, an All-American at Georgia Tech, said, “Yeah, I just kind of strolled off the first tee box after hitting my snap-hook drive, and my caddie just told me, ‘Listen, you’re playing The Open as an amateur; no need to fret.
“From there, we kind of had fun.”
Tom Lewis at Royal St. George’s in 2011 was the most recent amateur to share the lead after 18 holes of The Open. In 2015 at St. Andrews, Irish amateur Paul Dunne shared the 54-hole lead.
Lamprecht is aware that it’s unusual for an amateur to compete with professionals, let alone at a major event. But the story ends there.
I believe I merited a place here. I believe that the way I performed today got me the top spot on the rankings. It’s not arrogant to state that. Simply put, I think I have confidence in myself, and I suppose you should have that same confidence when you step up to the first tee box.
The 18th hole was birdied by Brian Harman, Adrian Otaegui of Spain, and Antoine Rozner of France, who were all at 67. Wyndham Clark, the winner of the U.S. Open, Max Homa, a 50-year-old former Open champion, and Stewart Cink were in the group of 68.
Considering the shank he made on the eighth hole from high grass and the golf ball that was above him, Spieth had a solid start at 69. He made double bogey after the ball was ruled lost.
“It took me a few holes to feel like I had my feet back under me since I had never hit one before” Spieth said.
Players were terrified of the bunkers because they weren’t sure if the ball would land in the centre or go up against the thick, soggy walls. In either case, the penalty was comparable to a water hazard.
“They are there because of that. They must be avoided at all costs. Today, a lot of folks shot low scores and performed a good job. To stay away from them all is quite challenging.” Rahm said.
The bunkers around the 18th hole were especially difficult. On Thursday’s final hole, 19 players had double bogey or worse. In 2014, there were 26 doubles or worse throughout the entire tournament at Royal Liverpool.
Thirty-one players were able to break par, and players like Rory McIlroy who finished at even par virtually eliminated himself from the competition.
“There, I had to practise patience. Not the easiest of days, it was. I’m still there, though.” he said.
The last time McIlroy triumphed at Royal Liverpool, he started with rounds of 66-66 and finished with a win at 17-under par. At 18 under, Tiger Woods won at Hoylake in 2006.
It has been somewhat lengthened and has a new par-3 hole at the 17th that has caused problems for several players. Phil Mickelson scored a double bogey, and Lucas Herbert had a triple, but this day was all about the bunkers.
“It’s the golf course we play that has the most bunkers. They are widespread and quite harsh.” Lowry said.
