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Friday 21 July 2023

Fleetwood among British Open leaders; McIlroy among the survivors

By DOUG FERGUSON holes to feel like I got my
AP Golf Writer feet back under me,” Spi-
HOYLAKE, England (AP) — eth said. He did just that un-
The British Open showed til finding a pot bunker off
again Thursday that even the tee and finished with a
after 163 years, golf’s old- bogey.
est championship can still The bunkers were frighten-
deliver a few surprises. ing, with players unsure if
It started with Christo Lam- the ball would settle in the
precht, the South African middle or be up against
amateur as tall as a flag the vetted, sodden walls.
stick and almost as thin, Either way, it was about as
making three birdies over penal as a water hazard.
his last six holes and posting “That’s why they’re there,”
a 5-under 66 to become Rahm said. “You have to
the first amateur in 12 years try to avoid them. Plenty of
to share the 18-hole lead at people did a good job and
the Open. shot a low score today. It’s
Curiosity about the 22-year- very difficult to avoid them
old amateur turned to glee all.”
at the site of local hero, England’s Tommy Fleetwood acknowledges the crowd after putting on the 13th greenon the first The bunkers around the
Tommy Fleetwood, running day of the British Open Golf Championships at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England, 18th were particularly di-
off three straight birdies Thursday, July 20, 2023. abolical. There were 19
on the back nine at Royal Associated Press scores of double bogey or
Liverpool to join him atop worse on the closing hole
the leaderboard. Emiliano around in 70 in the morning working hard keep playing, unusual for an amateur to on Thursday. The last time
Grillo of Argentina became before the breeze turned and keep putting myself in hold his own against the at Royal Liverpool in 2014,
the third to post 66 by hol- into a stiff wind. position. And obviously, it’ll pros, at a major champi- there were 26 doubles or
ing a birdie putt from 50 Masters champion Jon be my turn soon.” onship no less. But that’s worse the entire tourna-
feet on the last hole. Rahm reached a point The biggest surprise to ev- where it ends. ment.
Not to be overlooked was where he felt nothing eryone but the 6-foot-8 “I think I earned my spot to Thirty-one players man-
Jordan Spieth hitting a was going his way, and (2.03 meters) Lamprecht be here,” he said. “I think aged to break par, and
shank; Rory McIlroy missing it wasn’t. He hit what he was seeing an amateur the way I played today, players like McIlroy at even
a 3-foot putt; Justin Thomas thought was a good shot atop the leaderboard at I earned to be on the top par hardly shot themselves
going bunker-to-bunker-to- into the 18th only for it to the final major of the year. of the leaderboard. It’s not out of the championship.
rough each shot further find a bunker, forcing him He qualified by winning the a cocky thing to say. I just
away from the flag than to play back toward the British Amateur at Hillside, personally think I believe “I needed to stay patient
the previous one in making fairway and turning a birdie a links course just north of in myself, and I guess step- out there. It wasn’t the eas-
a 9 on the 18th hole to post chance into bogey. Rahm Liverpool on the Lancashire ping onto the first tee box iest of days,” McIlroy said.
his highest round in a major opened with a 74. coast. ... you should be believing “But I’m still right in there.”
at 82. “It does ask a lot of ques- “The first tee shot was the that you should be the best McIlroy won the last time
McIlroy, trying desper- tions, this golf course,” an only bit of nerves I had all standing there.” at Royal Liverpool, opening
ately to end his nine-year exasperated Shane Lowry day,” said Lamprecht, an Brian Harman, Adrian with rounds of 66-66 and
drought in the majors, was said after a 72. All-American at Georgia Otaegui of Spain and An- going on to a wire-to-wire
happy to get away with What it left behind after Tech. “Yeah, I just kind of toine Rozner of France win at 17-under par. Tiger
a 71. He risked the round the longest day 15 hours of walked off the first tee box each birdied the 18th and Woods won in Hoylake in
getting away from him un- golf were few answers. after hitting my snap-hook were at 67. The group at 68 2006 at 18 under.
til making up for that wee Fleetwood raised hopes of drive, and my caddie just included U.S. Open cham- This is a different Royal Liv-
miss on the eighth hole with becoming the first English told me, ‘Listen, you’re pion Wyndham Clark, erpool, slightly lengthened
a 40-foot birdie on the 14th winner of a British Open in playing The Open as an 50-year-old former British and with a new par-3 17th
that sparked him. England since Tony Jack- amateur; no need to stress.’ Open champion Stewart hole that wreaked havoc
And then it almost got lin in 1969. He kept his own “We kind of had fun from Cink and Max Homa. for some — Phil Mickelson

away from him in the end hopes measured, fully there.” Spieth was at 69, a strong made double bogey, Lu-
just like the bunkers on the aware of gallery support The last amateur to share start considering the shank cas Herbert a triple — but
18th ruined so many other for the long-haired lad the 18-hole lead at the he hit from tall grass and this day was all about the
rounds when he left one in raised about an hour up Open was Tom Lewis at the golf ball above his feet bunkers.
the pot bunker and expert- the coast. Royal St. George’s in 2011. on the eighth hole. The ball “It’s the most well-bun-
ly got out the second time “First day, so this was a pret- Irish amateur Paul Dunne was declared lost and he kered golf course that we
and made a 10-foot par. ty good one,” Fleetwood shared the 54-hole lead at made double bogey. play,” Lowry said. “They’re
Scottie Scheffler, the said. St. Andrews in 2015. “I’ve never hit one before, everywhere, and they’re
world’s No. 1 player, got “All I want to do is keep Lamprecht appreciates it’s so it took me a couple very penal.”q