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Key occasions
Brian Harman will get too cheeky along with his bunker shot at 1. The flag’s solely simply behind the financial institution on the high of the lure, and he tries to land it shut. Not shut sufficient. Too near the financial institution, although, and it gathers his ball again into the bunker. He’s very lucky that the ball doesn’t roll into his deep footprint. He can’t take any probabilities along with his second try to flee from the pot, and whacks out to 30 ft. He practically makes the lengthy putt coming again, however that’s a double-bogey six to start out. He’s -6.
Now we have a brand new clubhouse chief: Wyndham Clark, the 2023 US Open champion. Par on the final, and he’s in with a 66. He’s -6, a mark he’s joined on out on the course by Justin Rose, who whips his fairway wooden into the par-five seventh off a financial institution to the aspect of the inexperienced, then will get up and down from the swale by which he finds himself. That’s three birdies in a row for Rose, and a fifth in six holes! Some response to a three-putt on the first.
-10: Scheffler
-9: Fitzpatrick
-8: Harman, Li
-6: Henley (14), Rose (7), McIlroy (4), English (2)
-5: Clark (F), Wallace (12), Finau (3), Gotterup (3), MacIntyre (2), Hatton (1), R Højgaard (1)
Rory takes a shy on the quick downhill par-four fifth … however leaves his drive out left and his ball disappears into thick cabbage atop a financial institution. Fingers crossed for a fortunate lie. A mistake by Brian Harman as properly, the 2023 champion golfer getting a bit too aggressive with a flag tucked behind the bunker guarding the front-left of 1, his ball hitting the financial institution in entrance and toppling again into the lure.
Chris Gotterup is in The Zone proper now, having gained the Scottish Open final week. He finds the center of the par-five 2nd in two, and practically makes the 30-foot eagle putt, the ball sticking awkwardly on the right-hand lip. He faucets in for birdie that strikes him to -6. He’s joined there by Harris English, who birdies 1. And the 2023 US Open champion Wyndham Clark, who has been struggling for type, is rediscovering it in type on the hyperlinks. A tie for eleventh in Scotland final week, and birdie now at 17, and he’s within the group at -5. A number of birdies being made on a course with its defences, just like the wind, down.
One other birdie for Rory McIlroy! He arrows his method into 4 from 166 yards to seven ft, and walks after it instantly. He favored that. And he walks within the putt too. A 3rd birdie in 4 holes, and the gang are chanting Ro-ree! Ro-ree! It’s social gathering time in the intervening time. Wild scenes. He’s -6. And Justin Rose is on a cost as properly! He three-putted the opening gap for bogey, and maybe that was one thing that simply needed to occur, as a result of the shackles look like off. 4 birdies within the subsequent 5 holes! Rose is -5.
Yeah, John Parry’s delighted all proper! He has a fast phrase with Sky Sports activities, an enormous smile on his face. “It was only a excellent 8-iron … greatest second of my life, in all probability, undoubtedly on a golf course! … with all of the grandstands round, it was wonderful … phenomenal … undoubtedly an expertise I gained’t neglect.” Even when there have been no footage, you’d know he was beaming anyway. You can hear the smile in each phrase. Such a candy second.
John Parry went 17 holes with out dropping a stroke, making a hole-in-one alongside the best way. However he couldn’t take it dwelling and not using a blemish. His tee shot at 18 discovered sand, and he was pressured to chip out. He couldn’t make up the bottom, and that’s a closing bogey. However the sting will subside quickly sufficient: an ace on the Open, and a spherical of 67 that whisks the 38-year-old from Harrogate as much as -3. Parry’s greatest – certainly solely – end on the Open was a tie for 62nd at St Andrews three years in the past; his greatest end at a serious is a tie for twenty eighth on the 2013 US Open. He’s received an excellent probability to higher these tomorrow.
Russell Henley was many a pundit’s dark-horse tip for this 12 months’s Open. The 36-year-old Georgian was tucked away simply out of sight for the primary two days, after rounds of 72 and 70, and began right this moment at degree par. However now he’s troubling the leaders! Birdies at 2, 3, 7, 8 and 11, with simply the one dropped shot at 6, and he’s simply eagled 12, raking in a 30-footer to maneuver to -6. Eagle putt for the defending champion Xander Schauffele as properly, at 7. And it was asking an excessive amount of of Rory to sink that lengthy birdie putt on 3, however he will get shut sufficient to faucet in for his par.
-10: Scheffler
-9: Fitzpatrick
-8: Harman, Li
-6: Henley (12)
-5: McIlroy (3), Gotterup (1), R Højgaard, Hatton, MacIntyre, English
-4: Conners (F), Clark (16), Wallace (10), Fleetwood (9), LIndell (8), Schauffele (7), Åberg (5), Rose (5), N Højgaard (2)
Rory comes up a membership quick on the par-three third. He’s on the inexperienced, however on the entrance, and the pin’s on the again. On Sky, the ever-excellent Wealthy Beem speculates that he might need been factoring within the adrenaline that’s absolutely pumping by means of his veins. He’ll want to empty a 60-footer if he’s to maintain his birdie sequence going.
Rory McIlroy finds the guts of inexperienced on the par-five 2nd in two. He leaves himself a sluggish, uphill 28-foot eagle putt. He units it off lifeless on line, however with out precisely half-a-turn’s-worth sufficient juice. He bends over in theatrical frustration, however appears completely happy sufficient when he faucets in. A birdie-birdie begin, and immediately he’s solely 5 again at -5. By the way, he’s carrying a crimson Nike shirt. A sign that he’s decided to place within the form of efficiency you’d usually affiliate with Tiger on a Sunday? Most of golf is performed within the thoughts, so rule nothing out.
Ludvig Åberg has additionally made a quick begin. Birdies at 2 and three carry him as much as -4. The 25-year-old Swede’s quick main profession may be very a lot one in all contrasts: runner-up on the Masters on debut, tied for twelfth at his first US Open, seventh on his second go to to Augusta. However he’s missed the lower in each appearances on the PGA, once more eventually month’s US Open, and final 12 months at Troon, the place he shot 75-76. A tie for eighth eventually week’s Scottish Open showcased his skill on a hyperlinks, although, and now he’s wanting good for one more of these high-placed main finishes. Will he ever end in the course of the pack?
Rory McIlroy’s second into 1, from the center of the green, is distinctly common. He’s left himself with a difficult two-putt for his par from 36 ft. Effectively, that’s how the typical participant would course of it. The putt has an enormous right-to-left curl, however he judges it to perfection, the ball dropping into the outlet at 4 o’clock. The gang – and it’s a crowd, an enormous following – erupts in wild celebration. There’s barely a flicker on McIlroy’s face. No histrionics, only one finger pointing within the air, as if to say: that’s birdie primary, let’s go searching for the following. The beginning of one in all his trademark leaderboard fees? Let’s see! He’s -4.
Whereas we’re with reference to Bryson, it is a magnificent piece by Andy Bull. Each line a gem. Get on it instantly, if not sooner.
DeChambeau, simply over 6ft, square-shouldered, formed like a linebacker, appears like he’s been carved out of marble. In between photographs, his physique appears to fall prefer it’s been positioned for him by a sculptor. MacIntyre, alternatively, is constructed just like the bloke working the until within the chippie.
It’s been one other good day for Bryson DeChambeau. Having shot 78 on Thursday, he adopted it up with 65 yesterday, a distinction of 13 strokes between rounds. He’s carded a 68 right this moment, and it could have been 67 had his good snaky 50-foot birdie effort on 18 not stubbornly stopped on the lip. It deserved to drop. Again on Thursday night, it was honest sufficient to wonder if or not Bryson’s type is appropriate with Open success; he’s since fairly comprehensively debunked any doubts. At -2, he’s too far again this 12 months, however these rounds could have boosted his perception forward of Birkdale subsequent 12 months. Don’t rule him out.
Rory McIlroy arrives on the first tee to the standard Ulster ululations. Bedlam, bedlam, wonderful bedlam. And he additional whips up the gang by cracking his driving iron down the green. No drama but. So with the nation’s favorite son out on the course, and the leaders quickly to observe, now’s a very good time to take inventory of how the highest of the leaderboard appears …
-10: Scheffler
-9: Fitzpatrick
-8: Harman, Li
-5: R Højgaard, Hatton, MacIntyre, English, Gotterup
-4: Conners (F), Parry (16), Clark (13), Wallace (7), Finau, N Højgaard
-3: Spaun (12), D Johnson (12), Henley (10), Im (8), Glover (7), Fleetwood (6), Lindell (5), Schauffele (3), Åberg (2), Burns (1), Westwood (1), Bradley, McIlroy, Smith
Having introduced Sung-jae Im’s blistering begin with such a fanfare, the inevitable happens. Bogey at 8. Simply the one par on his card to this point right this moment. However John Parry is constant in the proper route, following up his ace at 13 with birdie at 15. He’s -4 for the match, alongside Wyndham Clark, who makes his fourth birdie of the day at 12, and Matt Wallace, who’s made his fourth birdie of the spherical at 7! Yeah, there’s a rating on the market all proper, for anybody whose irons are dialled in. If Scottie Scheffler’s driver behaves, say goodnight to the remainder of the sector.
… so there’s a rating on the market, if somebody desires it. Corey Conners is one of the best of the bunch again within the clubhouse proper now, having shot 66. The 33-year-old Canadian, who has by no means actually performed it on the Open earlier than, is -4 total, and that’s some good transferring. And if that isn’t illustrative sufficient, Sung-jae Im is at present 4 beneath for his spherical by means of 7. And that’s with a bogey at 3. He’s made 5 birdies, at 1, 2, 4, 5 and seven, and is clearly of a thoughts to match his top-ten end final 12 months at Troon on the very least. He’s -4 for the championship.
The climate report. Sunny intervals, not an excessive amount of wind, and that’s been mirrored within the early scoring, which we’ll get onto in a minute. There’s an opportunity the wind will choose up later, and there may even be some rain, however don’t wager the farm on any of this undoubtedly taking place, it’s the Open, it’s an Irish summer time, the climate is what it will likely be. Rain very a lot doubtless tomorrow, thoughts.
Gap-in-one for Parry
Earlier than we get into the thick of the motion, let’s kick-start our day with a sugar rush: information of a hole-in-one! It’s already been a very good season for John Parry: the 38-year-old from Harrogate gained on the DP World Tour for the primary time in 15 years, on the Mauritius Open; got here second on the Kenya Open and the Alfred Dunhill, and tied for fourth on the Soudal Open. This may simply be the spotlight, although: a tee shot drawn into the 192-yard thirteenth which takes a few bounces and disappears into the cup! He’s warmly congratulated by his enjoying accomplice, the 1997 champion Justin Leonard. That matches the feat of Emiliano Grillo, who aced this gap throughout the first spherical again in 2019. Parry is enjoying in solely his second Open, having teed it up at St Andrews three years in the past, ending the week in a tie for 62nd. He’s made an even bigger mark this time.
Preamble
Welcome to Transferring Day on the 153rd Open Championship! After 36 holes, the highest of the leaderboard regarded like this …
-10: Scottie Scheffler
-9: Matt Fitzpatrick
-8: Brian Harman, Haotong Li
-5: Rasmus Højgaard, Tyrrell Hatton, Robert MacIntyre, Harris English, Chris Gotterup
-4: Tony Finau, Nicolai Højgaard
-3: Keegan Bradley, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Smith, Lee Westwood, Sam Burns
… whereas these (chosen) massive names missed the lower …
Joaquin Niemann, Jason Day, Ryan Fox, Zach Johnson, Kim Si-woo, Tom Kim, Tom McKibbin, Patrick Cantlay, Stewart Cink, Cameron Younger, Min Woo Lee, Patrick Reed, Louis Oosthuizen, Darren Clarke, Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa, Cameron Smith, Adam Scott, and Padraig Harrington
… and that left us with a tee sheet that regarded like this (all occasions BST, GB&I until said). It’s on!
0935 Matti Schmid, Corey Conners
0945 Sepp Straka, Hideki Matsuyama
0955 Takumi Kanaya, Adrien Saddier
1005 Sebastian Soderberg, Henrik Stenson
1015 Thomas Detry, Jacob Skov Olesen
1025 Nathan Kimsey, Bryson DeChambeau
1035 Maverick McNealy, Thriston Lawrence
1045 Justin Leonard, John Parry
1100 Andrew Novak, Sergio Garcia
1110 Jesper Svensson, Francesco Molinari
1120 Riki Kawamoto, Wyndham Clark
1130 Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm
1140 JJ Spaun, Dustin Johnson
1150 Phil Mickelson, Jhonattan Vegas
1200 Viktor Hovland, Jordan Spieth
1215 Russell Henley, Antoine Rozner
1225 Romain Langasque, Daniel Berger
1235 Sungjae Im, Dean Burmester
1245 Matt Wallace, Akshay Bhatia
1255 Jason Kokrak, Lucas Glover
1305 Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Thomas
1315 Aaron Rai, Rickie Fowler
1330 Marc Leishman, Oliver Lindell
1340 Ryggs Johnston, Xander Schauffele
1350 Kristoffer Reitan, Matthew Jordan
1400 Ludvig Åberg, Justin Rose
1410 Harry Corridor, Christiaan Bezuidenhout
1420 Sam Burns, Lee Westwood
1430 Jordan Smith, Rory McIlroy
1445 Keegan Bradley, Nicolai Højgaard
1455 Tony Finau, Chris Gotterup
1505 Harris English, Robert MacIntyre
1515 Tyrrell Hatton, Rasmus Højgaard
1525 Haotong Li, Brian Harman
1535 Matt Fitzpatrick, Scottie Scheffler