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Rory McIlroy’s Quest: Redemption at The Open Championship
The opening round of The Open Championship is one of the best days of the year at Royal Troon, but it also requires a little bit of strategy from the television viewing audience. Due to the time difference and the fact that the entire field tees off on the first hole, this is also the longest golf day of the year. This file will be your one-stop shop to keep up-to-date on all the early highlights from Royal Troon. There’s no shortage of storylines as the tournament gets underway. Rory McIlroy looks for redemption after his heartbreaking finish at the U.S. Open.
Tiger Woods’ Comeback: A Promising Start at Royal Troon
Tiger Woods is playing in the Open for just the third time since 2019. Leonard’s opening tee shot was an homage to his win in 1997 here, and he was followed off the tee by Todd Hamilton, who was victorious at Troon seven years later. Local favorite Jack McDonald rounded out the opening group. They were the first of 53 groups that started their rounds on the first hole. Because every group begins on No. 1, the last tee time of the day (belonging to Jeunghun Wang, Aguri Iwasaki, and Sam Horsfeld on Thursday) tees off nearly 10 hours after Leonard’s group. You’re looking at approximately 15 hours of golf action on Thursday and Friday apiece.
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Tiger at Troon: Tiger Woods’ has begun his opening round at Royal Troon. The 15-time major winner opened with a pair of pars before holing a long birdie putt on the third hole to jump into red figures. Can he keep it going and reverse his fortunes from the year’s first three majors? He made the cut at the Masters, finishing 60th, but missed the cut at the PGA Championship at Valhalla and the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. It’s the first time Woods has played in all four majors since he suffered severe injuries to both legs in a 2021 car crash.
Justin Thomas’ Turnaround: Early Leader at The Open
Justin Thomas: What a difference a year makes! He opened last year’s Open Championship with an 82, a round that was indicative of the struggles that marred his 2023 season. He left Royal Birkdale concerned with his position in the FedExCup Playoffs and on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Thomas is now the early leader at The Open after shooting 68 on Thursday at Royal Troon.
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Rose and Scott: In a sport getting younger by the year, the Open has always provided respite for golfers with a bit more brain than brawn. Rose opened in with a bogey-free 2-under 69, tied atop the leaderboard as he finished the 18th with a par. Scott finished at 1-under 70. Only a few have more experience navigating the Scottish links than Rose and Scott. The duo has made 43 Open Championship appearances between them.
Matt Wallace’s Flare: Early Brilliance and Challenges at The Open
Matt Wallace: Players need to make a move early at Royal Troon because things only get harder from there. He holed out from 84 yards on the fourth hole to reach 3 under and was the tournament’s early leader after adding another birdie at the Postage Stamp. Things can turn quickly at Royal Troon, and they did for Wallace.
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