Fitzpatrick Shares Clubhouse Lead At Rain-hit Open

A trio of Englishmen made superb starts to nan 153rd Open Championship connected a rain-lashed opening greeting astatine Royal Portrush successful Northern Ireland.

Former US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick slam-dunked a spot for birdie connected nan notoriously difficult par-three 16th to subordinate unheralded Dane Jacob Skov Olesen and China's Li Haotong successful nan lead connected 4 nether par.

Matthew Jordan concisely reached that number but is 1 backmost aft a 68, while Lee Westwood, who vanished 4th erstwhile The Open past visited this people successful 2019, is successful a group astatine 2 under.

Phil Mickelson, nan 2013 champion, opened pinch a 70 which included a magical par prevention from a bunker, and was past asked for immoderate memorabilia by his playing partner Ryan Peake, the erstwhile pack member who served 5 years successful situation for assault.

"He was a leader of excavation increasing up," beamed Peake, who deed a six-over 77. "My aged boy is retired present and he loves him arsenic well.

"I grabbed his putter disconnected him a fewer times and had a small consciousness of it. That's nan OG - nan 1 from nan Masters.

"His caddie was giving retired play balls and I yelled, 'What astir me?!' He had a laughter and thought I was being sarcastic but I said 'deadly serious' and could he motion a mitt arsenic well."

Home favourite Rory McIlroy, who famously deed his opening changeable retired of bounds six years ago, avoided nan aforesaid destiny this twelvemonth but is among nan later starters and teed disconnected astatine 15:10 BST, alongside 2019 runner-up Tommy Fleetwood.

The upwind was barren arsenic they headed retired but much rainfall is forecast to deed nan Antrim coast.

Fitzpatrick, who played successful nan worst of nan conditions, holed a 22-foot eagle putt connected nan 2nd and added birdies connected nan short sixth and agelong 12th to beryllium good successful contention astatine 3 under.

But an errant tee changeable into nan valley connected nan par-three 16th - called Calamity Corner because it has wrecked galore a information - looked group to costs him.

His shot nestled successful nan rough, astir 8 feet beneath nan green. He flicked it retired pinch a wedge and could only laughter pinch his caddie aft nan shot vanished consecutive into nan hole.

The Yorkshireman's champion decorativeness astatine nan Open is associated 20th astatine Portrush successful 2019 and he arrived successful Northern Ireland successful bully shape aft a associated 4th astatine past week's Scottish Open.

Jordan, who grew up astatine Royal Liverpool and vanished associated 10th location aft being fixed nan honour of hitting nan opening tee changeable astatine nan 2023 Open, concisely sewage to 4 nether pinch a birdie connected nan 12th. Successive bogeys were followed by a birdie connected nan 15th successful a good opening round.

Westwood besides sewage to 4 under, pinch a birdie connected nan 12th, but bogeys connected nan 14th and 16th holes dampened nan extremity to his information of 69.

The erstwhile world number one, 52, only booked his spot successful nan title by coming done last qualifying astatine Dundonald earlier successful July.

His woman Helen, who is besides his caddie, had been readying a vessel travel information nan French Riviera, alternatively she has been lugging his container information successful nan rain.

More to follow.