22 July, 2017
The two-time major champion kept a bogey off his card in an assured performance on Thursday, with his five-under total duly matched by last month's U.S. Open victor, Brooks Koepka.
But one thing the U.S. Open champion acknowledged was his golf clubs did not travel to Sin City in the aftermath of his triumph last month at Erin Hills. "But it was nice to get over here early and just kind of get a feel for the golf course and play again".
You have to go back two years to Zach Johnson's British Open triumph at Saint Andrews, which came eight years after his 2007 Masters triumph. Obviously got off to a rough start yesterday, but battled back.
Wet and windy conditions greeted the players for the majority of Friday at Royal Birkdale, but it didn't stop large crowds filling the fairways and plenty of memorable moments across the course. The tournament begins tomorrow and by the time most people on the west coast wake up the opening round will be complete.
"But it's like any Open Championship, you've just got to control your golf ball". This is something you can't do anything about but you still can enjoy the tournament. Past success at a course can always bring confidence to a player. The wind and weather is usually a factor too. "And previous year I was pretty caught in 2015".
Kuchar made a bogey on the 18th hole, though his round of 71 was a good score in 25-mile-per-hour gusts that put a premium on making par. And it just doesn't seem like I'm fully ready to play. Some are on the short list of favorites and a couple of minor sleepers to watch.
Open champion in 2014 at Hoylake and a four-time major victor, McIlroy admitted it took some strong words from his caddy JP Fitzgerald to help him recover.
"I don't mind having my back against the wall and having to fight".
Four-time major victor McIlroy, who last triumphed at the 2014 US PGA, predicts the era of the dominant force is over. He is solid in all parts of his game and is ready to take the title.
Rory McIlroy received a timely reminder of who he was before achieving a stirring revival at The Open on Thursday. "At that point I mumbled and said: 'Whatever, ' McIlroy said, "But it did, it helped".
Spieth had not played competitively since winning the Travelers Championship on his last start three weeks ago by holing a bunker shot on the first hole of a play-off with Daniel Berger.
The incident happened while the Swede was playing his first round on Thursday.
