Choppy waters at Hoylake but McIlroy manages to stay afloat
KNEESY DOES IT: Ireland's Rory McIlroy chips out of a bunker on the 18th during day one of The Open at Royal Liverpool, Wirral. Picture date: Thursday July 20, 2023. Pic: James Warwich/PA
Rory McIlroy will begin his second round at the 151st Open still in the hunt for a repeat of his 2014 triumph here at Royal Liverpool — but only just.
The world number two, looking to end his nine-year title drought in the majors at the scene of his third and penultimate success, kept his chances alive with a level-par opening round of 71 thanks to two back-nine birdies and a dramatic par save at the 18th that leaves the Irishman five shots off a three-way tie for the lead held by Amateur champion Christo Lamprecht of South Africa, local hero Tommy Fleetwood, and Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo, ranked No.41.
The leaders each carded five-under-par 66s in the mildest of conditions on Merseyside yesterday morning and are a stroke ahead of France’s Antoine Rozner, Spain’s Adrian Otaegui and American Brian Harman with five golfers including US Open victor Wyndham Clark and veteran 2008 Open champion Stewart Cink a shot further back at three under.
McIlroy leads the Irish challenge alongside Seamus Power with 2019 champion Shane Lowry also handily placed a shot further back on one over par. Fellow former Open winners Darren Clarke and Padraig Harrington are two over and three over respectively but Irish amateur qualifier Alex Maguire has a great chance of at least making the cut following a one-over 72.
The rain had kept at bay on the Wirral Peninsula throughout the opening day but those with an afternoon tee-time including the marquee group of McIlroy, world number three and Master champion Jon Rahm and former US Open champion Justin Rose had to contend initially with stiffer crosswinds and falling temperatures than their earlier-starting rivals.
With six top-five finishes in 13 Open starts including joint-second at Carnoustie in 2018 and third to Cam Smith at St Andrews last year as well his 2014 triumph, McIlroy had come into this year’s championship brimming with confidence following his Rolex Series victory last Sunday at the Scottish Open.
Yet the 34-year-old never looked truly comfortable, despite huge levels of support from the Hoylake crowds. He pushed his first two tee shots wide right yet engineered birdie at the par-fourth second. McIlroy gave that shot back at the par-four fourth after finding a greenside bunker with his approach shot and carding bogey.
A three-putt at the eighth and another bogey at the 12th, both par fours, sent McIlroy to two over par but the spark he must have been looking for arrived with a birdie three at the 14th, ignited by a monster 41-foot, seven inches putt.
Arriving on the 15th tee will have brought happy memories given its role in his 2014 win, when as the 16th hole then, McIlroy carded two birdies and a Saturday eagle on the par-five.
With adrenaline no doubt pumping he ripped his drive but was not overly pleased with his contact from the tee. Yet although the ball missed the fairway the firm ground saw it bounce back on for a drive of 335 yards, 233 yards from the pin His second shot, with a five iron, found the bunker left of the green but the Irishman fashioned a birdie to move to level par with three difficult holes to play.
There was drama to come at the last, however, McIlroy’s approach shot resting right up against the face of a front left greenside bunker. He then failed to play out sideways and saw his ball come to a halt in his indented footprint. It at least gave McIlroy a chance to escape the pot bunker in the right direction and with his left leg outside the bunker and resting at just below hip height, he produced the deftest of touches to put his ball just 10 feet past the hole. That he saved par with his putt was nothing short of remarkable, his accompanying fist pump telling its own story.
“I wouldn’t have been too happy walking off the 18th with a bogey, especially after the two shots I hit in there,” a relieved McIlroy said. “When you hit it into these bunkers you’re sort of riding your luck at that point… then you’re just hoping to make some sort of par at that stage and get out of there.
“So overall, two over through 12 to get it back to even for the day, I’m pretty pleased with that. I didn't really get it going on the front nine. I missed a few putts. A few putts started to go in on the back nine, which is nice to see. Hopefully I've got my eye in now and I can build on that over the next three days.
"I needed to stay patient out there. It wasn't easy but I am still right in there. I need to shoot something in the 60s tomorrow and I will be right there for the weekend."
Lamprecht had emulated fellow Georgia Tech man Bobby Jones by lifting the Amateur Championship trophy at Hillside near Southport last month. Jones had won his title at St Andrews in his annus mirabilis of 1930, moving onto Royal Liverpool to claim that year’s Open, the second leg of his Grand Slam completed with the US Amateur and US Open titles.
What the South African would give to follow the legendary Jones, though no amateur has lifted the Claret Jug since the great man. Still the 6ft 8in 22-year-old will always have the satisfaction of at least leading The Open.
“Yeah, it's pretty surreal,” Lamprecht said. “It's nice to see a lot of work behind the scenes pay off. It's something I haven't dreamt of yet, but it's pretty cool.”
Defending champion Cam Smith was left frustrated by his opening, one-over 72 but took solace in the fact his one-stroke victory over Cameron Young at the 150th Open 12 months ago had featured a one-over 73 at St Andrews.
One player who must have very little hope of victory is former world number one Justin Thomas, the American whose last tournament victory was at last year’s PGA Championship.
He seems unlikely to add a Claret Jug to his collection this year, the misery of an opening 11-over 82, the worst of his PGA Tour career, completed with a horrible quadruple bogey eight at the last. Thomas’s tee shot finished on the wrong side of an internal out of bounds line, and he visited three consecutive bunkers after that before his seventh stroke, a putt from 13 feet stopped short on the edge of the cup. It was the cruellest of ends to a terrible round.
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