Open Diary: Jordan savours his early rise as local scallywags play nice

As Royal Liverpool course record holder, world number 329 Matthew Jordan had the honour of getting the whole show on the road on Thursday morning

AWAY WE GO: England's Matthew Jordan tees off the 1st to start day one of The Open at the Royal Liverpool, Wirral. Pic: David Davies/PA Wire.

Royal Liverpool member Matt Jordan was blown away by the reaction from The Open gallery at the 1st tee yesterday as he fulfilled the honour of taking the first shot at the 151st championship.

The world number 329 owns the course record at Royal Liverpool with a 62, and despite a 6:35am tee time yesterday he was cheered on by locals, members, friends and family.

“Amazing. I'm kind of running out of words to describe it,” Jordan said before having a crack at it anyway. “It was crazy, mental, loud, everything that I could have wished for. I'm certainly trying to think of a better experience than that, and I don't think I can.” 

That he shot a one-under-par 70 was the icing on the cake for a memorable day for Jordan and his followers.

“I had family and girlfriend's parents, girlfriend was there for the first six, seven holes. She had to work. She didn't leave me. She didn't see me make bogey and leave, she had to go and work.” 

Jordan’s girlfriend Kate Harry did not have too arduous a commute following that bogey on the sixth, as he explained.

“She works with European Tour productions, so she works in the big green trucks. She got up before me… and she's not finishing until 9pm herself. She's got a few brownie points there, and I'll have to treat her to a sandwich or something.” 

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The children of Merseyside are doing their hard-earned reputation as impish scallywags no favours at all at Royal Liverpool this week if The Diary’s ears have not deceived them.

A preferred area for collecting autographs from players is the pathway they take to their lounge from the scorers’ area but the one drawback is that hunters are separated from their prey by a six-foot high fence. Pin flags, baseball caps and other Open Championship merchandise are regularly flung over the barrier to golfers with defending champion Cam Smith one of those happy to oblige. The Diary heard one good-mannered minor asking the Australian, “please may I throw my flag at you?”.

It was not an isolated incident of extreme politeness from the often-maligned youth of the area. As Rory McIlroy strode purposefully along the elevated players’ walkway to the first tee for his opening round yesterday, cheers of encouragement greeted his every step. Yet through all the “Go get ‘em”s and “C’mon Rory”s a whippersnapper in a Liverpool FC jersey called out: “Rory, have a nice day”.

Said child was the only one who broke the world number two’s fixed gaze, the Irishman responding with a smile and the gentlest of waves.

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US Open champion Wyndham Clark is right in the hunt for back-to-back major titles following a three-under 68 but his opening round was not without its casualties.

The American struck a spectator with his tee shot at 14 and came to rest in “a bad spot” on the way to Clark’s only bogey of the round.

“It hit his iPad; didn't hit him,” Clark said, before he was asked if the tablet was okay.

“Well, I don't care now,” came the less than gracious response. “It screwed me up.”