Open Championship

PGA Tour rookie Cameron Young made his Open Championship debut with an 8-under 64 at St. Andrews. Rory McIlroy shot a 66 and is in second after the first ...

"Xander and I talked about it. Scheffler tried to explain just how fast the links were playing by suggesting the ball was rolling faster on the fairways than on the greens. "It's the way the golf course is set up. He has had one of the better rookie seasons on the PGA Tour, and the 25-year-old New Yorker is not the least bit daunted by the stage. McIlroy looked free as ever at St. Andrews, his first time back for the Open since 2010. Young played smartly and took advantage of the birdie chances. Defending champion Collin Morikawa struggled with his putting and had a 72. "The way the golf course is designed ... to get better angles and better lines, you've got to hit across all the fairways. Just two months ago, he contended into the final hour of the PGA Championship until finishing one shot out of a playoff. "It's the fiddliest Open that I've played. "OK, the 18th at Carnoustie was like a runway, that fairway. Young and McIlroy didn't have to contend with as much wind in the morning, though St. Andrews has seen far stronger gusts over its centuries of golf.

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — To a man, the players are stoked to be here. The 150th Open Championship, at the Old Course, the Home of Golf? It's storybook stuff.

Yeah, I guess we are used to waiting. "I've been doing this long enough to deal with days like today," Lowry said. Yeah, it was … I felt like everything was like choppy, and it wasn't easy to get into a rhythm. Fortunately, honestly, we all talked a lot, talked to [caddie] Joe [Greiner] a lot. "I felt like I needed to call my PT back and get him to stretch me back out. "I thought we handled those holes fairly well, considering the long wait there. "It's just a joke, isn't it?" The reason behind the slowness is endemic to the Old Course, especially when it's firm. You stay in the fairway, and you’re watching two other groups play golf." ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — To a man, the players are stoked to be here. Their first prolonged wait came on the par-5 fifth tee, when the threesome ahead (Jason Kokrak, Nicolai Hojgaard and Sihwan Kim) was still waiting to hit their tee shots as McIlroy, Schauffele and Morikawa finished out on 4. "We were waiting on groups at tees, waiting on fairways.

Day 1 at the 150th Open proved as eventful as anticipated. Here are the things that caught our eye during the first round at St. Andrews.

That was particularly the case through 15 holes, when Els sat a four under for his round and inside the top five on the leaderboard. And while Slumbers was diplomatic when asked if it was his worst nightmare if a LIV player won on Sunday, you get the impression it will be an awkward situation if it were to happen. Perhaps then we shouldn’t have been surprised to see 53-year-old Ernie Els appear on the leaderboard early Thursday at the Old Course. Playing in the Open for the 31st time, the 2002 and 2012 winner was wondering if competing in 2022 might have some special magical symmetry to it. Yet it very well might happen judging from the number of LIV-affiliated players on the leaderboard at day's end Thursday. Three players—Dustin Johnson, Talor Gooch and Lee Westwood—finished with 68s (Westwood despite a double bogey on his second hole) to leave themselves in a tie for fourth place. So whatever happens this week for Matt Fitzpatrick, it’s going to be hard to forget the glow of his U.S. Open triumph at Brookline. Even so, you have to think the Englishman was hoping for more than an even-par 72 in the first round at St. Andrews. It wasn’t like Fitzpatrick hit the ball poorly, but he struggled rolling in any meaningful putts. There were more to come, along with a couple doubles and a frustrating par on the 18th after his drive flirted with the green only to roll back into the Valley of Sin. It all added up to a disappointing 78. Then on the par-4 12th, Hovland attempted to drive the green but found the bunker just short of the putting surface. In between, as you might imagine, there was plenty that went on, with low scores to be had on a relatively tranquil day at the Old Course. And plenty of surprises to be found as well, including nine we felt stood out the most. If Viktor Hovland wins on Sunday, he won’t be able to say the same. On the par-5 14th, he had 30 feet for eagle and settled for par. And on the par-4 16th a six-footer for birdie was also squandered. And in watching him practice, you held out hope that he'd somehow find something to cling to and be able to put on a little bit of a show come Thursday. After all, conditions at St. Andrews seemed to be on the side of the golfer still recovering from his horrific car crash.

A long, windy and fast day at St. Andrews has recalibrated expectations entering the final 54 holes at the Old Course.

This was not a young Cat, pacing up and down the side of the sea, readying for the kill. 9. Tiger at sunset: Walking the final three holes with Tiger Woods on Thursday -- as the sun bowed below the Old -- was quite an experience. Irishman Paul Dunne led after 54 holes in 2015, and American Jordan Nieburgge went on to finish in the top 10 that same year. Some of that was because the Old baked as the day advanced, and some of it was because the wind whipped late and it was legitimately cold by the time the last group was finishing. "I think the media are stoking it up and doing as much as they can to aid that," he said. "I think the general public just want to go out there and see good golf no matter where it's being played or who's playing it." "It's the way the golf course is set up. 3. Wave on wave: The Old Course played harder and harder and harder as Thursday wore on. "I don't know [if experience in contending at the PGA Championship helps]," said Young. "I think any time you're around the lead in a major championship or any PGA Tour event, frankly, you get more and more comfortable every time. Scheffler to be feared at the top of the leaderboard. That changes with a win at St. Andrews given Scheffler would join Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Tiger Woods as the only golfers with five wins including the Masters and The Open in the same year. The big-bopping former Wake Forest Demon Deacon contended at this year's PGA Championship and has been one of the best neophytes on the PGA Tour all season.

Editor's note: The R&A operates The Open Championship and controls all digital streaming and broadcast rights to this event. For more information on how to ...

Editor's note: The R&A operates The Open Championship and controls all digital streaming and broadcast rights to this event. For more information on how to watch this week, please visitThe Open Championship's website. HOW TO FOLLOW (All times ET) Round 2 of The Open Championship takes place Friday from legendary St. Andrews in Scotland where PGA TOUR rookie Cameron Young held the lead at 8 under after the opening round. - The Old Course at St. Andrews is the host venue for The Open Championship. (Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR) How to Watch The Open Championship, Round 2: Live streaming, live scores, tee times, TV times

The Sporting News provides live updates and highlights from all of the action at the Open Championship 2022 as the world's top golf stars descend on St.

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