Fleetwood, Lamprecht, and Grillo Leading the Way at the British Open
England's Tommy Fleetwood, South African amateur Christo Lamprecht, and Argentine Emiliano Grillo took the lead in the first round of the British Open at a sunny Hoylake on Thursday.
Fleetwood, aiming to become the first Englishman to win the Open since Nick Faldo in 1992, scored four birdies on the back nine to match the impressive performance of Lamprecht. Grillo, on the other hand, birdied the final hole late in the day to join them at five under par.
Encouraged by the spectators at a course located just 30 miles from his birthplace, the 32-year-old Fleetwood made a perfect start to his quest for a first major title.
"It was an amazing experience, and you couldn't ask for more from the fans and the support. They were fantastic to me today," said the 21st-ranked golfer in the world.
"It's a special opportunity to play so close to home. To be in the clubhouse now, having played so well, is a wonderful feeling." Lamprecht, standing at an impressive height of six feet eight inches, displayed powerful and accurate drives in a round that included seven birdies and two bogeys.
"It's pretty surreal," said the 22-year-old. "It's nice to see all the hard work behind the scenes paying off. It's something I hadn't even dreamt of yet."
World number 41 Grillo started the back nine at level-par but managed to produce five birdies in that stretch, leading to a three-way tie at the top.
"This is what I'm here for, I love it," he expressed. "It's one of the greatest honors in the world, and I'm right up there."
Frenchman Antoine Rozner, Spaniard Adrian Otaegui, and American Brian Harman finished at four under, just one stroke ahead of 50-year-old American Stewart Cink, along with fellow Americans Wyndham Clark, the U.S. Open champion, and Max Homa. Sweden's Alex Noren, Indian Shubhankar Sharma, and Scotland's Michael Stewart were also in contention.
AMERICAN PRESENCE:
Former British Open winner Jordan Spieth shot a 69, while world number one Scottie Scheffler, PGA champion Brooks Koepka, and Patrick Reed were among a strong group of Americans who carded 70s, keeping themselves in touch with the leaders.
England's Matthew Jordan, who had the honor of hitting the opening tee shot at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, posted a 69, along with South Korea's Si Woo Kim, Sweden's Alexander Bjork, Italy's Guido Migliozzi, and England's Oliver Wilson.
It was a mixed day for Australian defending champion Cameron Smith, who scored a 72 with five bogeys and four birdies. Tournament favorite Rory McIlroy managed a scratchy level-par 71 as he aims for a fifth major title at the venue of his 2014 Open triumph.
A brilliant approach shot set up a birdie at the second hole, but the world number two from Northern Ireland missed several short putts and appeared frustrated until he holed a 30-foot birdie putt on the 14th green.
He also birdied the 15th hole and, after finding a greenside pot bunker on the last, he managed to salvage par with a chip from a challenging stance, finishing three shots ahead of Spanish world number three Jon Rahm.
"I felt like I played OK," McIlroy said. "I missed a couple of putts on the front nine but started to get the putter going on the back nine.
"It was tricky out there this afternoon. The wind was blowing a bit, and it was hard to get close to some pins. Even-par is a solid start."
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