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The Open: 1st Round Notes

First-Round Leaderboard

Louis Oosthuizen                 64 (-6)

Jordan Spieth                       65 (-5)

Brian Harman                       65 (-5)

Mackenzie Hughes              66 (-4)

Dylan Frittelli                        66 (-4)

Stewart Cink                         66 (-4)

Benjamin Hebert                 66 (-4)

Webb Simpson                     66 (-4)

Leading Asian Scores

Byeong Hun An                    67 (-3, T9)

Yuxin Lin (am)                       69 (-1, T32)

Jazz Janewattananond        70 (E, T48)

Takumi Kanaya                     70 (E, T48)

 

Things to Know

  • 2010 Open Championship winner Louis Oosthuizen opens with 64, his career-low score in a major and the lowest score by any player in a major during the 2020-21 season
  • Oosthuizen, who co-led after the first round of the 2021 U.S. Open, becomes first player to hold at least a share of the 18-hole lead in consecutive majors since Brooks Koepka in 2019 (Masters Tournament, PGA Championship)
  • Oosthuizen becomes the 10th player to record a first-round score of 64 or better at The Open Championship and first since Phil Mickelson in 2016
  • Jordan Spieth records his third career first-round score of 65 or better in a major championship; Spieth won both of the previous instances (2015 Masters Tournament, 2017 Open Championship)
  • Byeong Hun An birdied the 17th and 18th holes for a 67 to lie in T9 as the leading Asian after the first round. He is making his eighth appearance at The Open with a best finish of T26 in 2014.
  • The first round was completed 1 year, 360 days since the final round in 2019 (tournament canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic)

 

First-Round Lead Notes

26          First-round leaders/co-leaders to win The Open Championship (since 1892)

              (most recent: Jordan Spieth/2017)

5            First-round leaders/co-leaders to win during the 2020-21 PGA TOUR Season

              (most recent: Matt Jones/The Honda Classic)

Louis Oosthuizen (1st/-6)

Winner of the 2010 Open Championship

Category

Entering the week

Age

38 (October 19, 1982) 

FedExCup

13

OWGR

13

Starts at The Open Championship

13

Wins at The Open Championship

1

Top-10s at The Open Championship

2

Career PGA TOUR starts

200

Career PGA TOUR wins

1

Career PGA TOUR top-10s

40

PGA TOUR starts in 2020-21

16

PGA TOUR wins in 2020-21

0

PGA TOUR top-10s in 2020-21

6

 

  • Opens with 64, his career-low score in a major championship (51st major start)
  • Previous-low score in a major: 65, twice (R1/2010 Open Championship/Won, R2/2016 U.S. Open/T23)
  • Lowest score by any player in a major during the 2020-21 season
  • Last time a player shot 64 or better in a major: R4, 2020 PGA Championship (Ryan Palmer, Byeong Hun An, Collin Morikawa)
  • One player recorded a score of 64 or better at The Open in 2019: Shane Lowry (63/R3; went on to win)
  • 10th player to record a first-round score of 64 or better at The Open and first since Phil Mickelson in 2016; none of the previous nine players went on to win

 

Year

Player

Score

Finish

2021

Louis Oosthuizen

64

TBD

2016

Phil Mickelson

63

2nd

2012

Adam Scott

64

2nd

2010

Rory McIlroy

63

T3

2009

Miguel Angel Jimenez

64

T13

1992

Steve Pate

64

4th

1992

Raymond Floyd

64

T12

1987

Rodger Davis

64

T2

1985

Christy O’Connor

64

T3

1983

Craig Stadler

64

T12

 

  • Held a share of the 18-hole lead at the U.S. Open in June before finishing solo-second to Jon Rahm
  • Becomes the first player to hold the 18-hole lead/co-lead at consecutive majors since Brooks Koepka, 2019 Masters Tournament (T2) and 2019 PGA Championship (Won)
  • Third career 18-hole lead/co-lead on the PGA TOUR and second of the season; 0-for-2 to date converting to victory (T30/2018 WGC-Workday Championship in Mexico, T2/2021 U.S. Open)
  • Finished runner-up at each of the last two majors (T2/PGA Championship, 2nd/U.S. Open) and has six runner-up finishes in 50 majors in his career (T9 all-time)
  • Winner of the 2010 Open Championship, his lone PGA TOUR title; also lost in a playoff in 2015
  • Six top-10s in 16 starts during the 2020-21 season, including three runner-up results (P2/Zurich Classic of New Orleans with partner Charl Schwartzel, T2/PGA Championship, 2nd/U.S. Open)

 

Jordan Spieth (T2/-5)

Three-time major champion and 2017 Open Championship winner

  • Opens with 65, his third career first-round score of 65 or better in a major championship; went on to win each of the previous two instances (64/2015 Masters Tournament, 65/2017 Open Championship)
  • Last score of 65 or better in a major: 65, 2018 Open Championship (R3)
  • Last 18-hole position of T2 or better in a major: solo-leader, 2018 Masters Tournament (finished 3rd)
  • Won the 2017 Open Championship, his third of three career major championship titles (2015 Masters Tournament, 2015 U.S. Open, 2017 The Open)
  • Earned 12th career PGA TOUR title at the 2021 Valero Texas Open; has eight total top-10s on the season and entered the week No. 5 in the FedExCup standings

 

Additional player notes

  • In tournament debut, four-time TOUR winner and 2020 PGA Championship winner Collin Morikawa stands T9 (-3); other notable players competing in The Open for the first time: Scottie Scheffler (T9/-3), Viktor Hovland (T19/-2)
  • Six-time major champion and 45-time PGA TOUR winner Phil Mickelson (T155) records a 10-over 80, failing to break 80 in the first round of a PGA TOUR event for the third time in his career and first since the 2003 Valspar Championship (80); highest first-round score of his TOUR career: 83, 2000 THE PLAYERS Championship
  • Defending champion Shane Lowry stands T74 after an opening 1-over 71; Lowry won The Open at Royal Portrush Golf Club in 2019 and the tournament was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic

 

Course Statistics

Toughest Hole                                          Easiest Hole

R1:        Par-4 15th (4.365)                                     Par-5 14th (4.577)

 

Scoring Averages                                                 

                  Front 9                     Back 9                       Total                          Cumulative

R1:            35.686                       35.269                       70.955                        -

 

Bogey-free rounds

R1 (6): Louis Oosthuizen (64), Stewart Cink (66), Benjamin Hebert (66), Jack Senior (67), Justin Rose (67), Paul Casey (68)

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