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A16 sports
Friday 15 July 2022
A rookie rises and Tiger crashes in slow-moving British Open

By DOUG FERGUSON shape and he piled up five
AP Golf Writer birdies through 12 holes,
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) with only one careless play
— The Old Course was nev- that led to his lone bogey
er faster. The pace of play on the 13th.
was never slower. "Fantastic start. Just what
The celebrated start Thurs- you hope will happen
day of the 150th British when you're starting off
Open gave way to Cam- your week," McIlroy said. "I
eron Young making his de- did everything that you're
but with an 8-under 64 for supposed to do around St
a two-shot lead over Rory Andrews."
McIlroy, and Tiger Woods Then again, good starts are
making what could be his nothing new this year. He
last competitive appear- led the PGA Champion-
ance at St. Andrews a short ship after 18 holes and was
one. one shot behind after the
His score would indicate as first round of the U.S. Open.
much. Woods began his Both times, he couldn't hold
round by hitting out of a it together until he had fall-
divot into the Swilcan Burn en too far behind to catch
for a double bogey. He up.
ended it by taking three "I need to go out tomorrow
putts through the Valley of and back up what I just did
Sin for a par and a 78, his today," he said.
second-worst score in his Tiger Woods of the U.S. reacts to dust after playing a shot on the 1st hole during the first round of Defending champion Col-
Open career. the British Open golf championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, Thursday, July 14 lin Morikawa struggled with
Woods has never had to 2022. his putting and had a 72.
leave an Open at St. An- Associated Press Morikawa knew how long
drews before the weekend. of a day he was in for when
"Looks like I'm going to tience like the constant seasons on the PGA Tour, occasion on the par-5 fifth there was a group on the
have to shoot 66 tomorrow waiting. By late afternoon, and the 25-year-old New when he looked at his note fifth tee, and the group
to have a chance," Woods the rounds were taking just Yorker is not the least bit in the yardage book: "Hard ahead was just starting to
said. "Guys did it today. over six hours. They waited daunted by the stage. Just left is better than right." He walk toward the fairway.
And that's my responsibility on the tee and in the fair- two months ago, he con- went left and made birdie. "Xander and I talked about
tomorrow is to go ahead way, and it didn't help with tended into the final hour "We did stuff like that a few it. We're watching more
and do it — need to do it." so many players looking for of the PGA Championship times today," Young said. golf than we ever have,"
Young and McIlroy didn't the best angles to tight pins until finishing one shot out Players Championship win- said Morikawa, referring to
have to contend with as and playing to the left into of a playoff. ner Cameron Smith and how both rarely watch on
much wind in the morn- other fairways. Young played smartly English qualifier Robert Din- TV. "You stay in the fairway
ing, though St. Andrews has "It's the way the golf course and took advantage of widdie each had a 67. Din- and you're watching two
seen far stronger gusts over is set up. It's how firm it is," the birdie chances. He widdie had the best score other groups play golf."
its centuries of golf. Throw U.S. Open champion Matt reached 7 under through of the afternoon, when the It was hard to watch Woods
in the humps and mounds Fitzpatrick said after his 72. 12 holes with the wind help- wind was at its strongest. at times. He was was 6 over
and difficult pin positions, "The way the golf course ing on the inward nine. He The large group at 66 in- through seven holes, miss-
and the Old Course held its is designed ... to get bet- missed two good chances, cluded Masters champion ing more putts than usual
own. ter angles and better lines, finished with a birdie and Scottie Scheffler, Dustin and missing left off the tee.
"It's the fiddliest Open that you've got to hit across all most importantly kept bo- Johnson and even Barclay His tee shot on No. 7 was so
I've played. It's the only the fairways. There's noth- geys off his card. Brown, the English amateur far left that it wound up in a
way I can really describe ing you can do unfortu- "I don't think that I played who plays at Stanford. bunker in the 12th fairway,
it," McIlroy said. "OK, the nately about it. It's just sad a perfect round of golf," Xander Schauffele, coming leading to another double
18th at Carnoustie was like more than anything. It's just Young said. "I scored really off his second straight win bogey.
a runway, that fairway. But ridiculous." well. And I think we thought last week, was in the group There were consecutive
around the greens here Good scores were avail- our way around the way a 69. birdies around the turn, but
and just all the slopes and able, and 54 players broke you have to out there." Scheffler tried to explain little else to celebrate.
undulations and every- par, 26 of them with rounds Young figures he knows just how fast the links were Woods had pointed to this
thing, I think as the tour- in the 60s. only a fraction of the se- playing by suggesting the week even as his shattered
nament progresses, you're Young was a surprise lead- crets to Old Course — no ball was rolling faster on right leg from a February
going to get some funny er only because it's his first one ever really figures it all the fairways than on the 2021 car crash kept him
bounces and it's going to time competing on an out with so many conditions greens. Than he realized from playing. The Open
test your patience at times." Open links. He has had on the ground and in the that actually was the case. probably won't return to St.
Nothing tested the pa- one of the better rookie air — and there was one It gets that way at St. An- Andrews for another five
drews when the ground is years, and the 46-year-old
LIKE US ON crispy and the Open comes Woods can't help but won-
to the gray, old town.
der if he'll be playing at a
"They are? I'm glad I'm not high level by then.
losing my mind," Scheffler "This was always on the
said. calendar to hopefully be
McIlroy looked free as ever well enough to play it. And
at St. Andrews, his first time I am," he said. "And just
Facebook.com/arubatoday/ back for the Open since didn't do a very good job
2010. His game is in good of it."q