Notes from The Open, Rd. 1: Westwood shines on Thursday

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland – Nineteen LIV Golf players are competing at The Open Championship, which is being held at iconic Royal Portrush.

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Here are some news and notes from Round 1 when multiple LIV Golf players made runs up the leaderboard while others have work to do Friday to make the cut.

WESTWOOD LOVES PORTRUSH

Due to scheduling issues, a busy competition calendar and various other factors, Lee Westwood did not attempt to qualify for The Open Championship the previous two years. But Royal Portrush is among his favorite tracks. Six years ago, he tied for fourth when the club hosted The Open for the first time in 58 years.

“It's one of the golf courses where, if it wasn't The Open and somebody said do you want to play Portrush this weekend, I'd probably go,” Westwood said. “There's not many golf courses like that.”

So the Majesticks GC co-captain went through final qualifying this year and successfully landed a spot in this week’s field. Thursday’s first round showed just how comfortable the 52-year-old Englishman is at Royal Portrush, as he shot a 2-under 69 to that left him tied for 10th on the leaderboard.

Westwood is accustomed to solid starts at The Open – he’s now shot 71 or better in 11 of his last 14 starts – and six years ago, he opened with a 68. Through his first 12 holes Thursday, he was a bogey-free 4 under and had a share of the lead until two late bogeys. He thinks his score could’ve been even better, as he walked off the course leading the field in birdie chances from 10 feet (5) and 20 feet (8).

“Couldn't have been really any more than 69, I don't think,” he said. “Probably should have been 6- or 7-under through 12.”

Westwood flashed form recently with a tie for 10th at LIV Golf Virginia, and his performance at the Dundonald Links qualifier earned him medalist honors. “I played with him a few weeks ago. He was striking it really nice,” said fellow LIV Golf captain Cameron Smith of Ripper GC. “This is the best I’ve seen him hit it in the last few years.”

Westwood concurred. “I feel in control of my golf swing,” he said. “It’s as good as it’s been in a while.”

Westwood is making his 92nd major start and 28th Open in his impressive career. He’s had five top-5 finishes, including that most recent one in 2019. If he pulls off a victory this week, he’d be the oldest-ever major winner, surpassing Phil Mickelson, who won the 2021 PGA Championship at ag 51.

“Links golf more than any other golf gives you a chance when you’re our age,” he said.

It also provides perspective. Like when seeing your name atop the leaderboard midway through the first round of a major.

“Can't beat seeing your name up there on a Thursday,” he mocked. “We'll talk again if it's up there on Sunday.”

RAHM HAPPY WITH 70

Jon Rahm would’ve liked a few more birdie putts to drop, especially on Royal Portrush’s easier holes. He would’ve liked better results from his driver. He would’ve like to not heard the whistle from the gallery during his tee shot at the 11th hole that led to his last bogey.

But all in all? An opening 1-under 70 will be just fine.

“Very happy with the round,” said the Legion XIII captain, who is T20 entering Friday. “I’ll take the score. I feel confident. Hopefully I can hit a few better shots off the tee.”

Rahm’s strokes gained average off the tee Thursday left him near the bottom third of the field. Rainy weather for most of his round was part of the issue.

“I feel like I was making good swings,” he said. “Water gets between the ball and the club and it can go anywhere. But I’d like those good swings to somehow produce the shot that I like to see. But beside that, a really good day.”

SOLID PHIL

Phil Mickelson opened with a 1-under 70, his lowest Rd. 1 score at The Open since 2016 when he started with a 63 to eventually finish second to Henrik Stenson. The HyFlyers GC captain was bogey-free through 10 holes, then dropped a couple of strokes before making a late birdie at the par-4 17th. His group also caught a break by playing most of the round in dry conditions.

“I played really well, and I had an opportunity,” said Mickelson, who is T20 entering Round 2. “Like I really enjoy playing these conditions and playing this tournament. It's just a lot of fun.”

Mickelson’s best moment Thursday came at the par-3 third. After his tee shot buried in the greenside bunker, he was unable get his ball of the bunker on his second shot, but then holed out on his next attempt to save par.

“That was a crazy one,” he said. “It was really one of maybe two poor shots I hit, I felt. That bunker shot that buried in the lip, and then to make it, it was obviously a lot of luck. It was crazy. I was just trying to save bogey, and I got lucky and it went in.”

Mickelson won the 2013 Open, which gives him an exemption into the tournament until age 60. He’s 55 now and has obviously developed a fondness for links-style courses, learning when to avoid forcing high-risk/high-reward shots.

“I think winning The Open in 2013 was the greatest accomplishment in my career because I had to learn a style of golf that I didn't grow up playing,” he said. “It's kind of the greatest source of pride for me as a player to overcome those obstacles. Now I've come to really love it, enjoy it, and I seem to play well in some of the adverse conditions too.”

CAM OVERCOMES OPENING DRIVE

Cameron Smith’s opening drive Thursday travelled 153 yards and landed in the native area left of the fairways, leading to a quick bogey. “I tried to hit that one underground and almost missed it,” the Ripper GC captain said. “Not the greatest start to a major championship I’ve ever had, but from there it was actually all right.”

Smith’s back nine was more than all right, as he went a bogey-free 2-under on his final holes to finish with a 1-over 72.

“Definitely a bit of a confidence boost today on the back nine for sure,” said the 2022 Open champion. “When stuff's not going through our way sometimes, it can get really away from me. I did a really good job of hanging in there. A bit of Queensland spirit.”

Smith has missed the cut in the first three majors this year but has shown improved form in LIV Golf, with four top 10s in his laxt six starts. He’s hoping that Thursday’s solid finish will carry over into the rest of the week as he manages the weather conditions and the links-style approach. He’s also mindful of committing to swings, saying that part of his game has improved in recent starts.

“Could have really got away from me, I think. Hung in there nice and just committed to some swings, what I've been doing the last few times out,” he said. “Gave myself a little bit of a talking to through nine and played that last nine really solidly.”

NIEMANN PLAYING CHESS

Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann says playing links courses is like a little chess game. “You’ve got to think a little bit more where to land it,” he said. “It’s fun.”

It’s certainly fun when starting out with 13 bogey-free holes, as Niemann did en route to a solid 1-under 70 that left him tied for 20th.

The current LIV Golf season-long points leader – thanks to his four wins this season – is trying to take the pressure off the chase of his first major by embracing the atmosphere of links golf in front of a British crowd. He was even able to shrug off a bogey on his final hole and instead focus on the positives.

“I feel like the two times before I kind of have been too hard on myself of trying to deliver and put together a round,” Niemann said. “I took away the fact that it's such a nice tournament, enjoying the people, the crowds, enjoying the golf course, the conditions.

“We just get this one time a year, so I'd better enjoy it.”

McKIBBEN EARLY START

Tom McKibbin was in the first threesome off the tee Thursday morning at 6:30 a.m., a nod perhaps to his Northern Ireland roots and Royal Portrush membership.

Two bogeys in his first three holes was a quick wake-up call, but the 22-year-old Legion XIII star settled in after that, making the tournament’s first eagle en route to a 1-over 72.

“A little bit of everything in there,” McKibbin said, assessing the round. “A little bit of a good, a little bit of bad. Overall 1-over. Not great, but not bad. Overall not too annoyed but not happy. … A respectable score given how I played.”

McKibbin eagled the par-5 seventh with a putt from 17-1/2 feet. Two holes earlier, he recorded his first birdie at the par-4 fifth, getting up and down from the fairway bunker 45 yards from the pin.

He said the bunker shot was really the only time his course knowledge paid off. “I’ve been in that bunker before,” he said. “I knew what club to hit.” His 50-degree wedge landed 8 feet from the pin.

McKibbin appreciated having the support from the home fans. Even with his early start, there were enough fans on the first tee to offer him some nice applause.

“It's amazing getting sort of clapped on every tee and green,” he said. “It was pretty cool today, sort of the first experience of that kind. They're out there wanting you to do the best that you can, and it's sort of great to have that support.”

FIGHTIN’ LEISHMAN

Marc Leishman kept fighting back all day. After bogeys on two of his first six holes, he made a 20-1/2 foot birdie putt at the par-4 8th. After two more bogeys, he made consecutive birdies at the par-4 14th and 15th holes.

His round ended on a sour note , though, with a three-putt bogey from 34 feet on the par-4 18th, leaving the Ripper GC veteran with a 2-over 73.

“I don't think I hit a bad shot until the chip shot in on 7,” Leishman said. “Good drives, they've gone in bunkers, just it was frustrating. But that's the way it goes. Happy to fight back and then obviously disappointed there to three-putt the last. Hopefully can get out early and have a good one in the morning.”

LIV GOLF PLAYERS RD. 1 SCORES