Hoylake, England | We know that the practice of using red hues to indicate an under-par score in The Open Championship originated at Royal Lytham and St Annes in 1963. We know the idea of raising the lower level of the grandstand 6 feet or so off the ground to allow spectators to stand in front of it without obstructing a view behind it was tested at Royal Lytham, around the same time.
But cabbage stands for the shape of a person’s cupped hand? The stands that form the letter W were evident at Le Golf National near Paris for the 2018 Ryder Cup as they went in a continuous wave from one side of the first tee to the other side of the 18th green?
But horseshoe stands like the 17th here are a relatively new and welcome addition to golf too, and a bit of an improvement for the Open or Ryder Cup lot of spectators. The 18th green’s stand runs maybe 50 yards back up on the left side of the fairway, around the back of the green and about 80 yards up the right side of the fairway. It’s huge. If laid flat, it would be along many short slits.
Also, as it is a growing practice, tournament organizers spend a great deal of time selecting groups of golfers to play together, marital skills, charisma, and popularity among the watching crowds. Sometimes this can be humorous. One famous group at the Augusta National 40 years earlier included Hermann Keizer, the 1946 Masters champion, and Frank Führer, then a struggling 20-year-old on the PGA Tour. In another event, Luke Donald, current European Ryder Cup captain, was paired with England teammate Robert Duck.
We’re treated to the best of these at Royal Liverpool, a high-octane ensemble from John Rahm, Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy, three major champions, all Europeans who will certainly form the backbone of Team Europe in the Ryder Cup in September. This great contemporary trio has been watched by thousands from the comfort of one of these stands.
First, Ram was this year’s Masters Champion, all rolling shoulders, like bulls and raw power. A dramatic pit stop followed, allowing the tension to build until Rory McIlroy timidly and slightly shyly walked over to the first tee to massive cheers and cheers. Born in Northern Ireland, on the other side of the Irish Sea, McIlroy won the 2014 Open Championship, the last to be held at Royal Liverpool, and has the status of a golfing national treasure on this side of the Atlantic.
Then came 2013 US Open champion Justin Rose, who was trying to become the first Englishman to win the England Open since Tony Jacklin in 1969. There was no rose between two forks like one next to two stars. If this wasn’t an exceptional skill set, goodness knows what was.
Some say it’s a hallmark of an open game that players launch from a single starting point, ensuring that play begins at 6:35 in the morning when sometimes the light doesn’t fully appear until near darkness. Matthew Jordan, who grew up in Holick and is a member of the club, attracted a large following when he claimed the honor of making his first pole position at the 151st Open Championship. Many out there were backing him on the course at this early hour, no doubt many more settling down in front of their televisions in their clothes and pajamas to give him solid and vocal support, albeit a distant one.
Another feature of the oldest major leagues is that the stars are scattered throughout the day for television purposes. The simplest way to explain this is to say that there is a morning wave and an afternoon wave.
So it was Windham Clarke, the reigning US Open champion, who finished his run, 3-under-par 68, Jordan Spieth for 69, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Cantlay, Scotty Scheffler and Xander Schauffele for 70s and Cameron Smith, the defending champion, for 72 before Europe’s big triple hit in the first round from tee 2-59.
Brooks Koepka provided insight into his tactics earlier in the week when he said that staying away from the bunkers was key to playing links tournaments in general and Royal Liverpool in particular. The same applies to Old Course at St Andrews.
Rose may have been listening, but in seeking to hit the right side of the first two lanes to put himself in the best position from which to attack with his second shot, he was less accurate than he would have liked. His shots on the first and second holes ended in the bunkers, and each of these errant strokes cost him a shot. Walking to the third tee, he was 2 over par while McIlroy, after a powerful blast from the rough rough to a distance shorter than the length of his putter, was 1 under, thanks to Birdie 3 in the second.
But by the 12th McIlroy was out 2 and his rivals were playing the same or worse. He missed a really short putt in the eighth and failed one hole a little longer in the ninth. Somehow, McIlroy took Birds off the 14th and 15th and handled the reimagined 13th sequel, which had the potential to be treacherous with care. Turning his back to the sunset, he drove on the 18th with all the expectation of a birdie. Even at over 600 yards it was easy to get in two with a tailwind.
On first the Rams hit a green bunker who had to play from both sides. McIlroy then sanded in a bunker a bit close to the flag and failed to get out with his first attempt, also playing sideways. It took a deft blast shot to come out and stop his ball 8 feet from the flag after four strikes. His supper and mood were greatly improved by the way he sank the putt for an average of 5 and a round 71, par par.
For the two JRs, it was a day they struggled, as they both scored 3 goals over 74 seconds. Ram’s face was as black as his shirt when he finished. Rose would have to go down in the second round. The team took the lead by eight strokes, shared by local favorite Tommy Fleetwood, Argentine Emiliano Grillo and South African amateur Christo Lamprecht.
“I’m happy, although I wished for more at the beginning of the day,” McIlroy said. “Being a plus-2 after 12 holes and getting it back even at the end is good.”
There was a bit of fun in his run as he made his way off the final green. Not as much as if he had birded the fossa or even an eagle, but enough. It has been tested, it has melted and it has resisted.
“We’ll see what I can do early tomorrow morning,” he said. “I hope to be better after that.”
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