tee shot” src=”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/b3bd1a83ba75eda067ca7da9de76314ca609f786/0_302_6000_3602/master/6000.jpg?width=465&dpr=1&s=none” width=”465″ height=”279.15500000000003″ loading=”eager”/>
Scotland’s Jack McDonald hits his tee shot on the first hole and we’re away. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Reuters
Scotland’s Jack McDonald hits his tee shot on the first hole and we’re away. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Reuters
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Adam Scott came so close to lifting the Claret Jug in 2012. It wasn’t to be, and those closing four bogeys at Lytham will have left a scar. He had the Scottish Open snatched from under his nose last week by Bob MacIntyre, too. But there’s little that vexes the genial Aussie too much, and here he his holing out from one of the deep bunkers guarding 1. An opening birdie, and while there are 71 holes still to play, we’re allowed to dream. It’s free.
-1: Song (2), Kinoshita (2), Scott (1)
Kinoshita threatens to hand back his birdie at 2. A timid tee shot leaves him 200 yards out, and he carves his second into thick rough to the right of the green. But he bumps a chip to a couple of feet and scrambles his par. He’s going round with Younghan Song, the 33-year-old from South Korea making his second start at the Open after a tie for 62nd at Birkdale in 2017. Song sends his second from similar distance to five feet, and tidies up for his birdie.
-1: Song (2), Kinoshita (2)
E: Noren (3), McKibbin (3), Svensson (2), Hillier (2), Lee (1), Ancer (1)
Ryosuke Kinoshita has the honour of carding the first birdie of the 2024 Open. The 33-year-old from Japan rakes in a long putt across 1 to hit the top of the standings. Whatever happens now, he’ll always be able to say he once led the Open. Meanwhile up on 3, Tom McKibbin makes the second, steering in a right-to-left slider from 15 feet to return to level par.
-1: Kinoshita (1)
E: Noren (3), McKibben (3), Svensson (1), Norrman (1), Hendry (1), Song (1), Hillier (1)
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+4: Hamilton (3)
Ryosuke Kinoshita plays his approach to the first, from where he rolled in a birdie. Photograph: Luke Walker/R&A/Getty Images
The bunkers claim their first victim of the week. Well that didn’t take long. Todd Hamilton sends his second at 3 into a deep trap. His first attempt to escape rockets off the hosel and slams into the face, and he’s forced to turn sideways and bash out in a huff. That leads to a triple bogey. Hamilton won’t be the last. Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson will be wondering why this fate didn’t befall him 20 years ago.
Michael Hendry sends his opening shot down the track.