HORROR HOLE
O’Meara’s disastrous opener sets tone on 1st
Nobody knew where to look after Mark o’Meara, esteemed champion here in 1998, struck the first ball of The open on his valedictory appearance.
Not only was it pointless trying to see where it had gone after it sailed out of bounds into the trees. The hardy souls who braved the dawn did not know where to look out of a sense of embarrassment.
‘I didn’t say anything. What can you say? It’s tough,’ reflected o’Meara’s playing partner Chris Wood.
And so, swept by wind and rain, the dreaded first hole at birkdale began to take its toll on the early starters.
Local expert Tommy Fleetwood has described this opening par four — with its two dog legs and narrow-throated fairway guarded by a pot bunker — as a four-and-a-half, but it was not long before even that was looking generous.
The first 12 players to tackle it ended up an aggregate 16 over par as the crosswind dragged balls right, towards the trees.
Not what you need when first-tee nerves have taken over, and the alarm clock went off at 4.30am. o’Meara, honoured by the R&A with the first shot, suffered more than anyone, finishing on eight.
‘My day was toast after that,’ he said, mustering some cheer from the perspective that 60 years of age gives you. ‘It was raining, you’re wet. The wind comes, you’re cold, the eyes are watering. I was a little bit nervous, but I was not pleased
when I hit that shot. My name is on the golf bag. It would be like standing on the first tee at ballybunion and hitting the graveyard.’
He was not alone. In the following trio, highly-rated amateur Maverick McNealy — o’Meara’s fellow Californian — came up with something comparably inept. He sliced the ball at an even shallower angle that flew into the trees.
‘The first two holes were a shock, I’ve honestly never played in anything like that,’ he admitted.
‘I can’t compare the first hole to anything before. It’s a tough tee shot without the wind blowing at 20mph. I started it just on the right, the face was a bit open, it was wet and it slipped away.’ Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee struck off the tee into the bushes before struggling to a six, while bryson dechambeau arrived fresh from winning the John deere Classic on Sunday, but found the same thicket with his first shot and stomped off in disgust.
The wind dropped slightly after the first hour and the scores improved. Everyone had their own idea how to tackle the first.
Jordan Spieth, Henrik Stenson and Si Woo Kim all used different implements off the tee — a three wood, three iron and driver respectively. by the close of play, it had yielded 48 bogeys or worse, 14 birdies and one spectacular eagle. The second of the day’s birdies went to English amateur Alfie Plant.
‘I was surprised the ball went straight,’ said the former postman. ‘ The excitement overran the nerves. I’ve never played that sort of crowd, it was all new.’ The eagle came from American Charley Hoffman. From the rough on the righthand side and nearly 200 yards out, he lofted the ball straight into the green, past the sentry bunkers, and celebrated by putting his hands in his pockets.
The final average score ended up at just over 4.3, meaning that Fleetwood may have overstated its dangers after all.