The Open: Amateur Tom Lewis storms to the front

SHORTLY after an earthquake struck nearby in the English Channel, English amateur Tom Lewis made his Scottish grandparents proud by sending shockwaves through the 140th Open Championship yesterday to grab a share of the first-round lead with late call-up Thomas Bjorn at Sandwich.

Playing in different halves of the draw, Bjorn signed for his five-under-par 65 in the more difficult morning conditions, while Lewis matched that effort as the wind dropped later in the day on the Kent coast, where the pair emerged with a one-shot lead over Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez and American duo Lucas Glover and Webb Simpson.

While US Open champion and tournament favourite Rory McIlroy recovered well from a shaky start to open his title bid with a 71 in front of Tiger Woods-size crowds, he was overshadowed on this occasion by Lewis, whose effort saw him become the first amateur to lead the event since Michael Bonallack found himself alongside Brian Barnes at Carnoustie in 1968, and Bjorn, who had one hand on the Claret Jug here eight years ago before crumbling over the last four holes.

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Watched by grandmother Elizabeth, who hails from Wishaw but has lived in Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire for more than 50 years, Lewis enjoyed a fairytale day in the company of five-time Open champion Tom Watson, the man he was named after.

Playing on the same course where he won the British Boys' Championship in 2009, the 20-year-old single-putted his first eight greens then picked up four birdies in the last five holes to not only outscore his illustrious playing partner by seven shots but also record the lowest-ever round by an amateur in the event. That was previously 66, set by Frank Stranahan (1950 at Troon), Tiger Woods (1996 at St Andrews) and Justin Rose (1998 at Birkdale).

"There were a lot of cheers for Tom out there. I think at first it was for Tom Watson then, towards the end, I was playing well, so I think they were cheering for me as well. I had a great time out there," said Lewis, who won the St Andrews Links Trophy over the Old Course last month.

"It was an excellent draw playing with Tom today. No matter what I shot it was going to be great. (But] I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of him. To shoot 65 in front of Tom was excellent and he was just a great man to play with today."

Watson repaid the compliment, saying of his young playing partner after he'd become the first amateur to lead any major since Mike Reid shot a 67 in the opening round of the 1976 US Open: "I just had to smile inside to watch him play."

While his dad Bryan, a former European Tour professional, was too nervous to make the trip to Kent from their Hertfordshire home, Lewis, who has borrowed Lorne Duncan, the caddie of former Scottish Open champion Johan Edfors for the week, was cheered on by a huge entourage of family and friends, including his grandmother.

She told The Scotsman: "Tom's two grandfathers both came from Mosspark, near Glasgow, and my brother still lives up there. Both of his grandfathers are dead, but they were both with him in spirit on the greens out there.

"I'm so proud. I've got a pacemaker and I might need it on Friday! Tom's a lovely boy and I'm glad to be here."

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Lewis, who came through a qualifier at nearby Rye last month, admitted he would love to win seven majors so that he could eclipse Nick Faldo, who also cut his golfing teeth at Welwyn Garden City, but is trying to keep his feet on the ground heading into the second round.

"I've only played one event this year that's not been on links so I've probably got an advantage over everyone else in the field," said the joint-leader, who had already made his presence felt in professional company this year. He lost in a play-off to former Scottish Open champion Peter O'Malley in the New South Wales Open last November before finishing 12th in the Australian Open.

He added: "If I can go out and shoot four 65s, I will be winning. But I'm an amateur and I'm going to make mistakes. I'll be happy just to make the cut and be leading amateur, never mind finish at the top of the leaderboard." Bjorn, who was sixth reserve just over a week ago and only earned a place in the 156-strong field when Vijay Singh withdrew on Monday, finished joint-second to Ben Curtis in 2003 after infamously taking two shots to escape from a greenside bunker en route to a double-bogey 5.

The 40-year-old Dane gained a measure of revenge as he birdied the same hole on this occasion in making a welcome return to form. But the death of his father Ole two months ago after a long illness, the man he leaned on since bursting on to the scene with a victory at Loch Lomond in 1996, is clearly affecting him.

It was too much for the two-time Ryder Cup player when his passing was mentioned at his after-round press conference in the media centre. "He meant a lot to me," said Bjorn before tears started flowing. After asking for a moment to gather himself again, he added: "He would have been very proud of what I did today. That's all I've really got to say."

Out in the sixth game of the day, Bjorn was six-under for his round after bagging four birdies in five holes from the 12th before dropping a shot at the last, where he came up short with his approach from the middle of the fairway then played a clumsy chip that left him with too much work to save his par.

Despite that he still covered the closing four holes in five shots less than he did when he lost out to surprise winner Curtis eight years ago. "A lot of people have asked me what I feel about the 2003 Open," he said before that emotional moment. "It's in the past. I always look ahead - I'm 40 years old and there might just be a little bit more in me."

Jimenez, whose best finish in 17 previous Open appearances was third at Royal Lytham a decade ago, was blemish free in his 66, which was matched later in the day by Glover, the 2009 Open champion, then Simpson on his debut in the event. "I am where I want to be but you want to be there on Sunday," said Glover, who had been picked out by Sweden's Robert Karlsson before the event as one of the players he expected to do well on the Kent course. "I did not think four under was out there when I started but when I got to the 13th I wondered where did the wind go? The way I was hitting it I knew there were some birdies coming in."

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Graeme McDowell, last year's US Open champion, recovered brilliantly from being three-over after five holes to finish in a 12-strong group on 68 that also included world No 3 Martin Kaymer. World No Luke Donald and second-ranked Lee Westwood both opened with 71s to matching McIlroy on a day when the 22-year-old said he'd had to "grind out a score" as he struggled to find the pace of the greens.

Dustin Johnson had a hole-in-one - at the 16th - and four birdies in his final five holes for a 70, the same as fellow American Phil Mickelson.

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