Local hero Tommy Fleetwood shares first-round lead in 151st Open

If he’s got another closing 63 in a major in his locker, this would be the week for it. Especially after getting off to such a good start in the 151st Open at Royal Liverpool and especially because he’d be a hugely popular winner on the Wirral.

Tommy Fleetwood acknowledges the crowd at the end of his openig round in the 151st Open at Royal Liverpool. Picture: Warren Little/Getty Images.

Cheered every step of the way by one of the biggest galleries of the day, Southport man and Everton fan Fleetwood carded seven birdies in an opening five-under-par 66 to set the pace in the final major of the season along with South African amateur Christo Lamprecht and Emiliano Grillo, an Argentinean who is bidding to follow in the footsteps of Roberto De Vicenzo after his victory here in 1967.

At the venue where Arnaud Massy also triumphed in 1907, Frenchman Antoine Rozner sits one shot behind along with Spaniard Adrian Otaegui and American left-hander Brian Harman, while Stewart Cink, the 2009 winner, and US Open champion Wyndham Clark both signed for 68s to sit handily-placed. The spotlight, though, on a glorious sunny day on the banks of the River Dee was shared by Fleetwood and Lamprecht.

Fleetwood’s effort - he picked up three shots in the last five holes and was home in 32 - was the lowest opening round of his major championship career. “It’s a lovely feeling to have played so well,” said the 32-year-old, who finished second to Shane Lowry at Royal Portrush in 2019. “It’s such a special opportunity to play so close to home and to step out on the golf course and get that kind of support is so cool. I’m glad I gave them some good golf to watch. I am one of them, one of the guys that's out there. I'm a fan of the game. I'm from this area. I feel at home and to feel that support means a lot.”

South African amateur, Christo Lamprecht in action during the opening round at Royal Liverpool. Picture: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images.

The former European No 1, who tied for sixth behind Rory McIlroy in the Genesis Scottish Open in East Lothian last week, has twice closed with a 63 in majors, firstly in the 2018 US Open at Shinnecock Hills then in the same event at Los Angeles Country Club last month, when he missed a short birdie putt at the last to make it a 62.

This time, his name is up on the leaderboard from the off and he’s delighted about that. “It's not really been my strength recently,” he said of bursting out of the blocks. “Started tournaments pretty slow, so to get something going today felt really good.”

Lamprecht, a 6ft 8in giant from George, certainly got something going last month as he won the Amateur Championship at Hillside in Fleetwood’s home patch. “I actually watched him on TV,” he said. “My boys wanted to watch the British Amateur and it was very cool for him. What a great round (today). Sort of seeing an amateur's name up on the leaderboard is always something that's so special about major championships. You're watching somebody's career start to blossom.”

Grillo, a two-time PGA Tour winner, birdied three of the last four holes and was home in 31. “This is what I'm here for. I love it,” he declared afterwards. “It's one of the greatest honours in the world, and I'm up there.”

Argentina's Emiliano Grillo plays from the 15th tee at Royal Liverpool. Picture: Ben StansallL/AFP via Getty Images.

At 50, Cink is in the twilight of his career, but his opening salvo was hugely impressive. It was bogey-free on a tough golf course and saw him become the first player aged 50 or older to start this event with a round as low as a 68 in a decade.

“Even now I’m still way younger than Tom was then,” said Cink of denying Tom Watson a sixth title triumph in this event at Turnberry in 2009. “I just have to look back a few years to Phil Mickelson winning the PGA (at the age 50). I think that was probably a more difficult course than this.

“I draw from that. Absolutely. Plus, I have wins recently and I'm not that different of a golfer than I was then. I have no doubts that I can win this. It's going to take a lot. It's going to take some really, really exceptional play on my behalf, but it's in there.”

In his first major as a major champion, Clark reeled off nine regulation pars going out before mixing four birdies with one bogey on the inward journey. His dropped shot at the 14th stemmed from his drive hitting a spectator. “Hitting someone is never good, but it really went into a bad spot,” he said, having limited the damage to his scorecard by holing a 20-footer. “A round-saver,” added Clark of that.

2019 winner Stewart Cink opened with a bogey-free 69 on a tough course at the Hoylake venue. Picture: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images.

Jordan Spieth, the 2017 winner at Royal Birkdale, is handily-placed after an opening 69 that included a shank with an 8-iron that cost him a double-bogey 6 at the eighth. “I just had my face wide open, ball above my feet on a really bad lie, trying to flop cut an 8-iron,” said the American. “I feel like I'm as good as anybody at that shot and I guess the hosel got there first. That shakes you up a little bit. I've never hit one before, so it took me a couple holes to feel like I got my feet back under me.”

Lots had their feet whipped from under them at the last. After making a birdie at the new 17th, Hong Kong’s Tiachi Kho finished with a ten despite being in a greenside bunker in two. Justin Thomas ran up a 9 in his 82 while Rickie Fowler’s 8 included two shots out of bounds.

Rory McIlroy, the winner here in 2014, battled back from finding himself two over after 12 holes to eke out a par-71, taking two to get out of one of those treacherous greenside bunkers at the 18th but salvaging the situation by rolling in a ten-footer. Defending champion Cameron Smith opened with a 72.