The Northern Irishman is six strokes behind Louis Oosthuizen after the opening day’s play, his even par score leaving him tied for 48th place. The trick was nearly repeated at the second hole, only for his putting to come up short, a budding theme. Again, an impressive second shot followed only to be undone by a putt that lacked the necessary firmness. The 2014 champion – at Royal Liverpool – this time maintained his momentum to sink the birdie putt calmly and generate a cheer from the crowd after a period of quiet. A wondrous second shot, however, both threw up a clod of soil as big as the Northern Irishman’s head and landed the ball eight feet from the flag.

Source: The Guardian July 15, 2021 20:37 UTC