SANDWICH, England — Thomas Bjorn and Tom Lewis have nothing in common except for the unlikely position they shared yesterday atop the leaderboard at the British Open.
It’s not just that one is twice as old.
It’s not just that one is twice as old.
Or that Bjorn is a 40-year-old pro who wonders how much longer he can compete at the highest level, while Lewis is an amateur making his major championship debut, his best golf still to come.
The biggest difference are their memories of Royal St. George’s.
Bjorn took a small step toward atonement with a birdie on the par-3 16th — the hole that cost him the claret jug in 2003 when he took 3 shots to escape a pot bunker — on his way to a 5-under 65 in the toughest of conditions.
Bjorn made a birdie, and couldn’t help but smile when he saw it bounce away from trouble and toward the flag.
“When I hit the shot, I thought, ‘This is going to struggle.’ So when it just made it over that bunker, that was a smile of knowing that things were going my way today,” he said.
Lewis ran off four straight birdies late in his round, an amazing stretch that began on the par-5 14th. That’s the hole where Lewis wrapped up the British Boys Amateur Championship two years ago, the highlight of a sterling amateur record.
A par on the final hole gave him a 65, the lowest ever by an amateur in the British Open, making him the first amateur to lead the Open in 43 years.
“It was a special moment for me, winning here, and to come back to where you’ve won is extra special,” Lewis said. “I was just thrilled to be here, but to shoot 65 the first round was something I wouldn’t have thought. I was happy to get the drive off the tee at the first, and that was all that mattered.”
Adding to the nerves was playing alongside Tom Watson, such a popular figure in the Lewis household they named their oldest son after the five-time Open champion. And to think the kid only wanted to make sure he didn’t embarrass himself in front of Watson.
“He could be my grandson,” Watson said. “I just had to smile inside to watch him play. I certainly was impressed by the way he played.”
Equally impressive to Watson was to overhear Lewis’ caddie tell him there were still 54 holes left.
Bjorn wasn’t even in the tournament until Vijay Singh withdrew Monday, giving the Dane another shot at Royal St. George’s. When someone asked if he would be better off not playing to avoid memories of his meltdown, Bjorn cut him off.
“A couple of people asked me that question, ‘Would you not just want to go home?’ ” Bjorn said. “This is The Open Championship. Where else do you want to be?”
Miguel Angel Jimenez also played in the windy morning conditions and had a bogey-free 66. He was joined later by former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover and Webb Simpson.
A dozen players were at 68, a group that includes two major champions from last year, PGA winner Martin Kaymer and U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell, who was 3-over through five holes until a ferocious rally.
It was vintage links golf along the Strait of Dover. Flags that were crackling in the morning when Bjorn and Jimenez faced cold conditions and a spot of rain, were only rippling when Lewis teed off in the afternoon. The change was reflected in the scores. The morning half of the draw were a combined 223-over par; the afternoon 94-over.
Rory McIlroy, coming off an 8-shot victory in the U.S. Open that made the 22-year-old the centerpiece of this major, rallied from a sloppy start for a 1-over 71.
“Anywhere around even par is a good start,” he said.
But it didn’t feel that way for those at the end of a long day.
The biggest difference are their memories of Royal St. George’s.
Bjorn took a small step toward atonement with a birdie on the par-3 16th — the hole that cost him the claret jug in 2003 when he took 3 shots to escape a pot bunker — on his way to a 5-under 65 in the toughest of conditions.
Bjorn made a birdie, and couldn’t help but smile when he saw it bounce away from trouble and toward the flag.
“When I hit the shot, I thought, ‘This is going to struggle.’ So when it just made it over that bunker, that was a smile of knowing that things were going my way today,” he said.
Lewis ran off four straight birdies late in his round, an amazing stretch that began on the par-5 14th. That’s the hole where Lewis wrapped up the British Boys Amateur Championship two years ago, the highlight of a sterling amateur record.
A par on the final hole gave him a 65, the lowest ever by an amateur in the British Open, making him the first amateur to lead the Open in 43 years.
“It was a special moment for me, winning here, and to come back to where you’ve won is extra special,” Lewis said. “I was just thrilled to be here, but to shoot 65 the first round was something I wouldn’t have thought. I was happy to get the drive off the tee at the first, and that was all that mattered.”
Adding to the nerves was playing alongside Tom Watson, such a popular figure in the Lewis household they named their oldest son after the five-time Open champion. And to think the kid only wanted to make sure he didn’t embarrass himself in front of Watson.
“He could be my grandson,” Watson said. “I just had to smile inside to watch him play. I certainly was impressed by the way he played.”
Equally impressive to Watson was to overhear Lewis’ caddie tell him there were still 54 holes left.
Bjorn wasn’t even in the tournament until Vijay Singh withdrew Monday, giving the Dane another shot at Royal St. George’s. When someone asked if he would be better off not playing to avoid memories of his meltdown, Bjorn cut him off.
“A couple of people asked me that question, ‘Would you not just want to go home?’ ” Bjorn said. “This is The Open Championship. Where else do you want to be?”
Miguel Angel Jimenez also played in the windy morning conditions and had a bogey-free 66. He was joined later by former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover and Webb Simpson.
A dozen players were at 68, a group that includes two major champions from last year, PGA winner Martin Kaymer and U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell, who was 3-over through five holes until a ferocious rally.
It was vintage links golf along the Strait of Dover. Flags that were crackling in the morning when Bjorn and Jimenez faced cold conditions and a spot of rain, were only rippling when Lewis teed off in the afternoon. The change was reflected in the scores. The morning half of the draw were a combined 223-over par; the afternoon 94-over.
Rory McIlroy, coming off an 8-shot victory in the U.S. Open that made the 22-year-old the centerpiece of this major, rallied from a sloppy start for a 1-over 71.
“Anywhere around even par is a good start,” he said.
But it didn’t feel that way for those at the end of a long day.
No comments:
Post a Comment