Key events
It’s three birdies in a row for Sergio Garcia! He creams a fairway wood into the heart of the par-five 7th, utilising the camber to the left of the green to gather his ball holeward. He doesn’t give his very good eagle opportunity a chance of dropping, leaving the 17-foot putt two feet short, but he makes what’s left and moves to -3 in short order. Already I’m worrying that he’ll shoot 63 today followed by an 80 tomorrow. I can’t help it, it’s ingrained now. Dearest long-suffering readers of our live golf blogs, I might dig out the old Sergio Meltdown-o-Meter. We might need it.
Shane Lowry pulls a poor ten-foot par putt on 13. He nearly repairs the damage of that bogey on 14, but his 55-foot putt from the bottom of a swale to the side of the green stops a couple of turns short. A good par save nonetheless, and he remains at level par.
We mentioned Sergio’s near-miss at Hoylake in 2014. That year was the closest Rickie Fowler came; he finished in a tie for second with Garcia. Such a shame Fowler’s never come good on his early major-championship promise – though he does have the unofficial fifth major, the Players, on his resumé. Still, at 36, the Californian has time, and there’d be no more popular winner. Well, OK, Rory, Shane, Tom McKibbin, but you get the general point. Anyway, Fowler has started well, and now birdies 7. That’s three birdies in four holes, and he’s -2 for his round so far.
Matt Fitzpatrick slam-dunks from the bottom of a rough-strewn swale to the side of the par-three 16th! Like a bizarro, inverted version of Mark Calcavecchia from atop a heavily grown bank at Troon’s 12th in 1989. Calc went on to win that year; now will that augur well for the 2022 US Open champion this week? A few more holes to go, admittedly, seeing the American performed his ball-disappearing magic trick on the Sunday.
-4: JS Olesen (F), Li (F), Fitzpatrick (16)
-3: Jordan (F), Kaewkanjana (8)
-2: N Højgaard (F), Westwood (F), Kawamoto (8), Svensson (7), Fowler (7), Garcia (6)
Matthew Jordan pars the last and signs for a fine opening round of 68. He’s delighted to get back home, because he had some scrambling to do along the final stretch as conditions got a wee bit trickier. With some more unpleasant weather forecast – rain, and perhaps thunder, though fingers crossed – he won’t be too far from the top by the end of the day.
-4: JS Olesen (F), Li (F)
-3: Jordan (F), Fitzpatrick (15), Kaewkanjana (8)
Who’s this? Why, it’s our old pal Sergio Garcia! Well now. Sergio has had his heart broken once or twice at the Open, most notably at Hoylake in 2014, when his bid crumbled to sand in a bunker at 15, and at Carnoustie in 2007, when he led after the first three rounds only to bogey the 72nd and lose to Padraig Harrington in a play-off. Probably shouldn’t have tempted fate by dressing as Ronald McDonald, the world’s most famous clown, on the Saturday that year. Anyway, he’s in much more demure black with red flashes today … and he’s just followed up birdie at the short par-four 5th with another at 6, after sending his tee shot to nine feet and tidying up. He’s -2 and … he couldn’t, could he? Well, at 45 years of age, the odds are against, though the Open does love a fortysomething winner, even in recent years – Darren Clarke, Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson – so let’s not rule anything out. And let’s say it for old times’ sake: come on Sergio!
It’s not quite happening for the defending champion Xander Schauffele. Out in 35, but he drops a stroke at 11 to slip back to level par, and now he’s drawn his tee shot at the par-three 13th towards the back-left of the green. Not far from the flag … but it rolls one foot too far, and topples away down a swale. The small margins. He’ll have a job on to get up and down from there to stay where he is.
Another staunch par save by Matthew Jordan! He’s short and right of 17, and though he uses the slopes and ridges to guide his chip up the bank before slinging hard to the left and closer to the flag, he’s still left with a 15-footer for his par. But in it goes! Those back-to-back scrambles are priceless, and now he just needs par up the last to sign for an opening round of 68.
Scottie Scheffler could only punch out from the thick stuff down the side of 11. A mini-calamity that led to bogey. Now he sends his tee shot at 12 into a bunker. He’s not in total control of the big stick right now. Struggling with his game a bit … and yet still -1 at the Open. Everything in context.
Shane Lowry rakes in a momentum-saving 25-footer on 11 to save his par. A guttural roar as the gutta disappears into the cup. The 2019 champion – the reigning Portrush champion, which is the angle both player and crowd will be looking at it from – remains at -1. He’s joined there by the major-championship nearly man Rickie Fowler; the popular Californian cards back-to-back birdies at 4 and 5, a fine response to dropping a stroke at 3. Meanwhile back to Ireland, and some admin: Darren Clarke finished with par and a 75. He’ll have work to do if he’s to make the weekend, but if he does go on to miss the cut, at least he’ll not be walking off with lava pouring out of his ears like he did last time round.
Matthew Jordan knows his way around a links all right. The 29-year-old from the Wirrall finished in a tie for 10th on his home patch at Hoylake in 2023, then repeated the feat exactly at Troon last year. He’s going well again this time round too, and the escapes are as impressive as the birdies: he follows up the aforementioned birdie at 15 by getting up and down from a swale at the front of the long par-three 16th to save par. He’s -3.
A par for Lee Westwood on 18. The 52-year-old veteran from Worksop signs for a fine opening round of 69. He’ll fancy his chances of keeping this going, too, having finished in a tie for fourth here six years ago.
Jon Rahm so nearly scrambles his par on 11. Having been forced to chip out from the thick rough, his approach flies to the back of the green, and he’s left with a long snaking putt from 40 feet for his par. He’s a dimple away from making it. He taps in, and that’s back-to-back bogeys that bring him back down to level par, but at least he’s simmered down now, and instead of walking off frowning, smiles wryly at his caddie and shares a joke in the gallows-humour style.
Scottie Scheffler dropped his first stroke of the day at 9, turning in 35. The world number one picks it back up immediately at 10. He’s -2 again and despite this week’s earlier exercises in existential philosophy has a determined look on his face. Those features turn to irritation as he pushes his tee shot at 11 into trouble down the right. It is raining quite hard, too, which might also be impacting on his mood.
Jon Rahm’s first mini-meltdown of the week. He sends his tee shot at 11 into the rough down the right. He turns to shoot daggers at the gallers. “Whistling three times … right on my backswing.” On Sky Sports, Nick Faldo’s observation is tinder-dry: “I thought he was used to all the music and clatter they have on his tour.” Rahm isn’t in Koepka Kountry, but he is forced to chip back out onto the fairway. He’s now chasing the par that would keep him at -1.
There’s plenty of English representation at the top of the early leaderboard. Matthew Jordan birdies 15 while Matt Fitzpatrick picks up a shot at 13; they’re both a shot off the lead at -3. Lee Westwood meanwhile nearly slam-dunks into a bunker guarding the front of 17, but his slightly pulled approach squeaks over the trap and he’s able to get down in two without too much fuss to save his par. He remains at -2.
Brooks Koepka breathes again. Albeit in reedy fashion. He finds the first ball within the allowed three-minute search, though he’s still got to take an unplayable, dropping in the native area. He can’t reach the green with his next shot, and isn’t able to get close with his chip up. He gives his 30-foot bogey putt a good go, but that’s a double. It could have been a lot worse, because for a brief moment back there, he could have been trudging back to the tee to hit his fifth. In fact that’s quite a result, all told. He’s +3.
Padraig Harrington and Nicolai Højgaard have already lost a ball today. Now it’s being reported that Brooks Koepka might have lost two. He’s carved his tee shot at 11 into the bush that did for Højgaard a few hours ago … then sent his provisional into the same place! Oh my. Brooks Koepka is a five-time major champion. Golf is hard. Links golf is even harder. This is a glorious fiasco.
Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana has only played at the Open once before. But he made a pretty good fist of it. While Cameron Smith, Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young were duking it out for the big prize on the Sunday at St Andrews in 2022, hogging the limelight, Kaewkanjana was busy carding a final round of 65 en route to an 11th-place finish. He’s in form on the Asian Tour, tying for second at the Philippine Open and winning the Kolon Korea, and that’s translating well to Portrush, where he’s birdied 2 and then eagled the short par-four 5th. He’s now -3 through 6, just the one shot off the lead.
Li shoots 67
Thanks David, enjoy your cup of Nambarrie. Also deserving of a hot drop: Haotong Li. The 2017 runner-up to the runner-up follows up birdie at 17 with a no-nonsense par at 18. He signs for a blemish-free 67, some feat on this course and (latterly) these conditions. He joins Jacob Skov Olesen in a tie for the clubhouse – and the actual – lead.
-4: JS Olesen (F), Li (F)
One of the roars of the day as Northern Ireland’s finest, Darren Clarke, climbs a greenside bank and holes a chip from thick hay at 17. Have some of that. It takes the 2011 Open winner back to +4.
And on that positive, I’ll end my waffling and hand you back to the king of description, Mr Scott Murray. I’m off outside to… nah, it’s still raining heavily, I’ll have a cuppa and stay in the media tent for a bit.
A couple of lines from Phil Mickelson. The 2013 Open winner, now 55, shot a fine 1-under 70 earlier. To give that context, he’s missed the cut in all three majors this year and his Open form starting with an early exit here in 2019 reads MC-MC-MC-MC-60.
We had a pretty good break before the rain came in. It came in just the last couple holes. Our group had a pretty good break, I thought.
I really enjoyed it. I played really well, and I had an opportunity. Like I really enjoy playing these conditions and playing this tournament. It’s just a lot of fun.
I think winning The Open in 2013 was the greatest accomplishment in my career because I had to learn a style of golf that I didn’t grow up playing. It’s kind of the greatest source of pride for me as a player to overcome those obstacles. Now I’ve come to really love it, enjoy it, and I seem to play well in some of the adverse conditions too.
Lowry, at the 8th, has a 25-foot right-to-left breaker to hit -3 but it lacks the necessary zest and turns left before intended. Lowry opened with a 67 when winning at Portush in 2019. He’s on track to match that again.
Tommy Fleetwood, the runner-up to Lowry six years ago, tees off at 3.10pm today so can still put his feet up for a while and perhaps enjoy a Full English/leaderboard swish/dance to Kung Fu Fighting.
Musical head now on, let’s talk about The Lurkers. Not the British punk band on Beggars Banquet but, in this context, the trio of names creeping up the day one leaderboard. They need no introduction, Jon Rahm, Shane Lowry and Scottie Scheffler. That trio of major winners are -2 after 8, 7 and 7 holes respectively. They’re tied fifth and just two off the pace.
Matthew Jordan was supposed to the one-hit wonder, local lad done good story at his home course Hoylake in the 2023 Open. The unheralded Englishman delighted the Royal Liverpool crowds to finish 10th. What a week. And yet at Troon a year later he shook off any comparisons with Babybird, The Knack and Carl Douglas by finishing tied 10th again. And, blow me down, he’s at it again. Jordan, the World No. 152, has just birdied 10, 11 and 12 and is the joint-leader alongside Olesen and Westwood.
Some words, plenty of them as always, from the very chatty Padraig Harrington. This is just one question’s worth, his response to hitting the tournament’s opening tee shot. A reminder that he finished with a 4-over 75.
I hyped up the tee shot as much as I could so when I got there today, it wasn’t too bad. I was decently comfortable when I got on the tee. Obviously didn’t try for too much, hit a nice smooth 3-iron down there, held the pose a little bit.
I got a little emotional when I was clapped on, and then I calmed down, and I was kind of fine when I was hitting it. Obviously after that, I don’t know through the start maybe there was a little bit of hype in it, the three-putting 3 and 4, I just struggled. Three three-putts in the first seven holes, it just kills you when you’re always thinking about your pace as you’re standing over the ball, you’re always questioning your lines.
Yeah, it was a tough day on the greens, and it just ate into my game. Might have been a little bit of the fact that I was hyped up for the 1st tee box. Who knows? Certainly felt like I played better, could have played better, should have played better, scored better.
I don’t feel like there’s anything wrong with my putting, and I had a horrible day on the greens. It’s one of those things that’s the nature of the game, links golf. I’d love to be — yeah, I’d love to be a bit better, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying.
We have a new clubhouse leader – Jacob Skov Olesen. The Norwegian bogeys the last but 67 around Royal Portrush is a very fine effort indeed. Looking at his numbers, all elements combined to produce that 4-under score. He currently ranks 11th for Strokes Gained: Off The Tee, 14th for Approach, 7th Around The Green and 3rd in Putting. Right now, he’s tied at the top with Lee Westwood. Time for a leaderboard update. You’ll notice Jon Rahm and Shane Lowry lurking nicely.
-4 J Olesen (F), Westwood (13)
-3 Li (16), Jordan (11)
-2 N Hojgaard (17), Fitzpatrick (9), Echavarria (2), Rahm (7), Lowry (6)
The forecasters were right. Rain was predicted around midday and suddenly, with the afternoon only just upon us, it’s pouring down again. I heard one local out on the course this morning say that at least when the rains come, the winds die. And that shrewdie is correct. Just as I look at the TV screen next to me, there’s a limp flag as Phil Mickelson (now in waterproofs) putts at 18. The 2013 Open champ is -1 so he’ll be glad to get in and give himself a pat on the back for a fine five hours or so of work.
US Open champion J.J. Spaun birdies 7 to join the group on -1 in tied 11th. Another recent American winner, last week’s surprise Scottish Open champion Chris Gotterup, is also on the move. Birdies at 10 and 13 have taken the monster hitter to -2.
John Cook, not the 11-time PGA Tour winner who finished runner-up in the 1992 Open, gets in touch: “In a slightly cheeky fashion, and as an Ulsterman forced to live in London, I’d politely point out that whatever delicious plate of food you ate that cost you £11 this morning it was not a full English breakfast. They were outlawed in Ulster around the time of Oliver Cromwell, who I understand had a lovely short game but was a bit loose off the tee.”
Yes, it did confuse me a bit John. I thought the local vernacular was an “Ulster Fry” but this was billed on the menu board as a “Full English Breakfast”. I’ve just gone to the canteen to double check. There’s also a vegetarian version for £8. For the record, my morning ‘feast’ featured two sausages, scrambled egg, the last bit of bacon (there was a three-minute wait for the next batch), two slices of black pudding and three cooked tomatoes.
Meanwhile, Shane Lowry is up to -2 after a birdie at 6.
Kristoffer Reitan is an interesting name now in the top five of the leaderboard. He’s just moved to -2 after flicking an approach to kick-in range at 9. Reitan certainly isn’t afraid to go low. Earlier this year he won the Soudal Open with a 62 and seven days later added a 60 in the Austrian Alpine Open. The Norwegian also has an interesting background. His family are supermarket tycoons and own Reitan Retail: a leading company in the Nordic and Baltic countries. More fun facts here as I get them.
Just popped my head outside for five minutes and the weather seems virtually identical to what it was early this morning. A bit breezy but nothing extreme. In fact, the forecast suggests it’ll hold steady at around 14-15mph for the rest of the golfing day. No obvious sign of any more rain yet but it’s still predicted to arrive between midday and 4pm. Local man Tom McKibbin was being interviewed by various reporters in the mixed zone just outside the media centre. He said his 1-over 72 was a bit up and down, featuring good stuff and bad, and was a fair reflection of his round. That seemed a very honest assessment.
The big yellow scoredboard in the media centre has room for 14 names and creeping into the final two slots are two very familiar names. Five-time major winner Brooks Koepka birdied the 1st and is still at -1 after 6 and he’s been joined there by Xander Schauffele after the defending champ’s gain at the 5th. Both are tied seventh, four behind leader Olesen.
Exactly five hours since he hit the 153rd Open’s first tee-shot, Padraig Harrington completes his 75th swish of the day and signs for a par at 18 to complete a round of 4-over. Not the score he wanted but there’s always tomorrow to try and bank another two days of crowd pleasing. Playing partners Nicolai Hojgaard and Tom McKibbin shoot 69 and 72 respectively. Hojgaard’s 68 may not be the clubhouse lead for long though as Danish compatriot Olesen is only two holes from home.
After Scottie Scheffler’s press conference featured an unexpected diversion into existential pondering, he shows that holing 10 footers for par really does have meaning. He reacts to doing just that with a fist-pump at 4. Filled with the joys, he pumps a drive at the par-4 5th that nearly reaches the green. And up and down there will secure a birdie that will take him to -2.
Well, well, well, leader Olesen has just chipped in with his third to the par-4 15th and the Dane now leads by two on -5. When it’s your day and all that.
-5 J Olesen (15)
-3 Li (12), Westwood (10)
-2 N Hojgaard (17), Jordan (8), Fitzpatrick (6), Echavarria (2)
What of the World No.1 and defending champion? That’s two different players by the way even though their surnames get muddled by the guy who does my windows. Scottie Scheffler is into red figures after sinking an 18-footer for birdie at 3 but his approach to 4 catches the front of the green and rolls back off it. Nearish namesake Xander Schauffele has opened with four straight pars, as has Jon Rahm by the way.
The weather forecast is always a huge topic of conversation in an Open – will there be a draw bias? – and the official Met Office update is pointing to on and off rain between midday and 4pm today before sun starts to emerge again around 5pm. That news will be of great interest to this bunch below. Will Rory get to play the majority of his round in the clearer, brighter skies?
1437 Tyrrell Hatton, Russell Henley (USA), Min-Woo Lee (Aus)
1448 Bryson DeChambeau (USA), Robert MacIntyre, Justin Rose
1459 Ludvig Aaberg (Swe), Viktor Hovland (Nor), Jordan Spieth (USA)
1510 Tommy Fleetwood, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas (USA)
We’re at Portrush so let’s have an update on the Irish. Lowry two-putted for birdie at the 2nd hole to go to -1 so that’s a solid start. Tom McKibbin has oscillated between +2 and -2 today and is currently splitting the difference: he’s even par after 16. Padraig Harrington flashed a broad smile after a birdie at 1 but the two-time Open winner has found it tough going since and has dropped to +4 with just 17 and 18 to play.
Scottie Scheffler is playing in his fifth Open this week and it’s a par-par start for the World No. 1. He’s a two-time Masters winner and captured a third major when landing the PGA Championship in May. His Open record shows a seventh, an eighth and nothing worse than 23rd in four appearances. It’s a foundation but perhaps also hints at this being the major he may find most hard to win. Scheffler loves control and links golf will always wrestle some away from him.
The roof on the press tent is always a good guide to what the weather is doing. And, right now, it’s all very still and silent. No rain, and winds are fairly modest. It’s not uniform obviously and out on the course, flags and trouser legs are flapping in the more exposed areas such as down at the 5th where the green backs onto the ocean. I wondered down there early on and a got a brief glimpse of the tip of Giant’s Causeway.
Umbrellas are down again. This is a dance we may see all week. Only a brief cameo from the rain this time but it could be more sustained this afternoon. Shane Lowry, a hardy Irishman, is immune to all these weather changes and he biffs a beautiful second shot onto the green at the par-5 2nd hole. Chance for eagle. Up at 10, Li birdies to join Westwood in tied second on -3.
Well, -3 is so 10.34am. In fact, Jacob Skov Olesen has chosen to bypass it completely by draining a huge putt for eagle at 12 to vault from -2 to -4. That’s one clear of Westwood and two in front of a dwinding group on -2 which now comprises fellow Dane Nicolai Hojgaard, Mickelson and Li. J.B. Holmes was the solo leader after round one here in 2019 with a 5-under 66. Olesen is on track to match or even better that after sinking his hefty 42-foot putt for eagle on the course’s third and final par 5.
Rain won’t have much of an impact on the fairways and greens. This is linksland. It’s absorbed quickly. But the already gnarly rough does increase in difficulty when wet. Stay away (said with loud hailer).
The -2 barrier is broken by… Lee Westwood. The Englishman pounds two big hits onto the 7th green and has a realistic look at eagle. It curls away on the low side but he brushes in the short birdie putt and he’s the first in the field to hit -3. The other big news from the course is that the umbrellas are up! It’s raining! Quite heavily too.
Lip out for Lowry at 1. That nine-footer was for birdie. Should we read anything into it? An early sign that the golfing gods will tease him a little this week? Or maybe it’s best to concentrate on the excellent approach. Stellar iron play was a big factor in his 2019 win.
It’s a seven-way tie at the top! The bunch at -2 is expanding all the time, one of the new entries Matt Fitzpatrick via an eagle at the 2nd. We’re nearly three hours into this Open and no-one has yet reached the giddy heights of -3. It won’t be long surely but who will break out of the logjam?
-2: N Hojgaard (13), J Olesen (10), Mickelson (10), Li (8), Herbert (8), Westwood (6), Fitzpatrick (2).
Shane Lowry is up and running. The Irishman won The Open by six here in 2019, a magical week which will be almost impossible to match. But if he wants a (not quite) precedent, how about Louis Oosthuisen winning the 2010 Open at St Andrews by seven and then almost repeating the feat the next time the Old Course staged the tournament in 2015 (Oosthuizen lost a three-way playoff, also featuring Marc Leishman, to Zach Johnson). Lowry is immediately into his stride, cutting a lovely iron down the first fairway.
So, I’m writing this live from Portrush. It was an early start (5am alarm call) to get here for the opening tee-shots at 6.30am. I’ve had a few pennies on local man Tom McKibbin this week and followed him for the first six holes in an entertaining three-ball also featuring Padraig Harrington and Nicolai Hojgaard. McKibbin struggled early and had to sink a testy par putt to avoid dropping to +3. But he made that putt at 4, birdied 5 and, as I walked back to the media centre, McKibbin’s name magically appeared at the top of the leaderboard. Clearly freed up by the aversion of my penetrating gaze, he’d eagled the par-5 7th. He added another at 9 to go to -2 but, just as I sat down in the press canteen for a full English (£11 if you’re interested; we get a £30 food card so that’s a third of the budget gone), I watched him on one of the TVs in there hacking around in rough at 11. He racked up a double bogey, as did Hojgaard. Both bounced back with birdie at 12 to get into red figures again and Hojaard as added another at 13 to make it bunched a the top.
Thanks Scott. Ludicrous claim but thankyou. You join me as defending champion, Xander Schauffele, launches his opening tee-shot. And it’s a good ‘un from the hero of Troon 12 months ago. On the short grass. A nerve settler. New US Open champion J.J. Spaun and Jon Rahm make up a high-quality three-ball. Rahm once won the Irish Open down the road at Portstewart and he was 11th in the 2019 Open here so he likes this stretch of the Northern Irish coast.
… and with that, I’m going to hand over to THE MOST HANDSOME MAN IN WEST YORKSHIRE (population 2.3 million), David Tindall. See you again in a while.
Haotong Li shot 63 on the final day at Birkdale as a 21-year-old in 2017. He’s not done too much in the majors since that third-placed finish behind Jordan Spieth and Matt Kuchar, and his career hasn’t quite hit the heights some predicted at that time. Although four wins on the European Tour isn’t exactly shabby. But perhaps he’s ready to hit the heights again, and with birdies at 5 and 7, the 29-year-old from China joins the leaders at -2. He’s certainly got the confidence to launch another bid for the title: he carries a wedge on which the following is engraved: HAOTONG IS THE MOST HANDSOME MAN IN CHINA. There are 1.4 billion people in China.
Double bogeys for Tom McKibbin and Nicolai Højgaard at 11. Højgaard will possibly be the happier – or rather, the less consumed by fume – of the two, given he parred with his second ball to limit the damage. McKibbin, having found his, decelerated when chipping out from the thick stuff, and while it’s not the most egregious of errors, on account of the filthy tangled lie, he might feel he’s looked a gift horse in the mouth having found his ball. But both slip from -2 back to level par. Which means – thanks to Lee Westwood making birdie at 5 – there’s a vintage look to the top of the leaderboard. Who’d have bet on this?!
-2: Mickelson (8), Westwood (6)
-1: Olesen (8), J Smith (6), Li (6), Jaeger (3), Reitan (2)
From jug to Claret Jug. Speaking of great stories – which Underdog undoubtedly is – here’s another, courtesy of our desk in Australia. Ryan Peake has had a troubled history, to say the very least. Here’s how he’s rebuilt his life after time in the jug. He’s making his Open debut this week, and given the benefit of experience and perspective, bogeys at 1, 2 and 5 this morning are unlikely to faze him too much. He’s currently +2.
Tom McKibbin has found his ball. It’s not exactly in the ideal spot, though, and he can’t hack it back onto the fairway at the first attempt. He’s back on the short stuff in three. Meanwhile Nicolai Højgaard can’t find his ball – despite McKibbin and Padraig Harrington doing their best to help – and he trudges back to the tee. Looks like they’ll both be going backwards … and with Jacob Skov Olesen making bogey at 8, slipping to -1, there’s a fair chance Phil Mickelson will be the sole leader of the Open in a few minutes!
While all that nonsense was unfolding, Phil Mickelson was quietly making birdie at 7. The 55-year-old joins the leaders at -2! Thoughts immediately turn to Tom Watson and his near miss of 2009. It can’t be helped. On that subject, Underdogs, the story of that famous Turnberry tussle, is well worth your time. Poor old Stewart Cink, we didn’t show him enough love. It’s not too late to right that wrong. He tees off in a couple of hours. Let’s cheer him round like the hero he is.
