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Rory McIlroy ended his decade-long wait to win a major championship in the opening round of the 152nd British Open, but that was cut short as Bryson DeChambeau also struggled in windy and wet conditions in Troon.
McIlroy will aim to overcome the disappointment he felt at last month’s U.S. Open, where he lost the lead on two missed short putts and DeChambeau won his second major championship by one shot.
But the Northern Irishman suffered two double bogeys in his first 11 holes to drop to five over after 14 holes, with his chances of lifting the claret jug for a second time in jeopardy.
Despite his withdrawal from the LIV Tour, DeChambeau has been the most in-form player in the majors so far this year.
The American finished sixth at the Masters and runner-up at the PGA Championship, behind Xander Schauffele’s record-breaking score of 21 under, before winning his second U.S. Open title.
However, he continued to struggle in windy conditions on the links golf course, finishing six over par on the front nine, including a double bogey on the par-5 sixth hole.
Two-time major champion Justin Thomas recovered from a double bogey of his own on the 12th hole to take the lead at three under.
“I played pretty solid, controlled the ball. I felt like I had good control of the ball,” said Thomas, who shot 11 over in the first round of the British Open last year.
“There were a few hiccups early on the back nine, but I stayed patient and kept working at it.”
Former world number one Justin Rose was in a three-way group with Scandinavian duo Alex Noren and Nicolai Hojgaard, all shooting two-under 69.
– Scheffler, Woods coming soon –
World number one Scottie Scheffler, who has six wins in just 14 starts this year, will tee off at 14:10 GMT as he seeks to make an impact across the Atlantic for the first time.
The American’s previous best result at the British Open was a tie for eighth in 2021.
Scheffler won his second Masters title in April but has failed to win two more majors since the PGA Championship and U.S. Open.
Tiger Woods is also set to be a crowd favorite as he returns to the tournament after missing last year’s Open.
The three-time champion has hit back at claims by former European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie that he should retire after playing so little and performing poorly since a serious car accident in 2021.
In fact, Woods believes the conditions on the links offer him a better chance of playing than if he were to play long drives in the United States.
“The older you get, the slower you hit the ball, but here, if the wind is right and the trajectory is right, you can hit the golf ball 100 yards,” the 15-time major champion said.
“I think that’s one of the reasons why the older champions are able to come out on top, because they don’t have to carry the ball 320 yards anymore.”
Former Troon champions Justin Leonard (9-over) and Todd Hamilton (11-over) are both in the first group, but are unlikely to play on the weekend due to tough playing conditions and challenging course conditions.
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