Americans play leading role at Royal Troon

There was no stopping American Phil Mickelson during his opening round of the 145th Open Championship (14-17 July) at Royal Troon in Scotland yesterday.  On a glorious sunny day with a testing sea-breeze, the five times Major champion just kept holing the putts on the back nine to set the pace with a record-breaking 63.  He becomes only the ninth player ever to shoot a 63 in the Open.  No-one has ever shot a 62.  Although, it must be said, Phil’s round of 8-under par actually looked destined to be a 62.  As he was about to step forward to take the ball out of the hole, his putt did a last-minute “horseshoe” and stayed agonisingly above ground.

 

Forty-six year old Mickelson, who won The Open at Muirfield in 2013, now leads by three strokes from fellow American Patrick Reed and Martin Kaymer (Germany) who both shot rounds of 66.

 

Reed had topped the leaderboard for much of the first day.  Bubba Watson joined him after an incredible start which included five birdies in the first six holes only to then come a cropper on the “postage stamp” hole – the 124 yard par 3, 6th – where his tee-shot landed in an almost impossible lie in one of Scotland’s notorious pot-bunkers.  He carded a six here and eventually went on to score a one-under par, 70.

 

Defending Open Champion Zach Johnson looked set to close his round at six-under par for outright second place.  It was a fine performance by the American on the historic links until bogeys at 17 and 18 cost him dearly.

 

Lucky hole-in-one for Louis at 14th

 

South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen made the first hole-in-one of this year’s championship when he aced his tee-shot at the 178-yard, 14th.  Another happy player was Colin Montgomerie.  The Scot had had the honour of teeing-off first at 6.35 in the morning only to start his round with a double bogey.  Despite a long, illustrious career, he didn’t win his first Major title until he turned 50.  A year later, in 2014 he won the US PGA Senior Championship and the US Senior Open in the same year.  On the opening day at Royal Troon yesterday, he fought back in true Monty style with five birdies on the front nine to eventually card a satisfying level par 71.

 

Andy “Spaceman” Sullivan from England opened with a solid 67 to put him near the top of the leaderboard.

 

Today, rain is forecast in Ayrshire with increased wind speeds which will provide quite a different challenge for the players as they battle to survive the halfway cut.

 

 

Wendy Hoad

 

PICTURED:  Phil Mickelson sees his putt horse-shoe out of the hole at the last and has to settle for a record-equalling low round of 63.