Click Here for British Open TV Times
The Open’s First Eagle is Ian Poulter’s
Ian Poulter holed a 54-yard putt off the right of the par-4 9th green for an eagle 2, the first of the 150th British Open. Poulter played to the crowd after the shot, putting his hand up to his visor as if to say he couldn’t even see that far.
The Englishman was tied for the lead at 3 under with Brandon Wu after his first nine. His best finish in the Open is second in 2008, four shots behind winner Padraig Harrington.
Poulter is also a member of LIV Golf, and received a smattering of boos on the 1st tee.
“I’ve never heard him being booed before, I wonder what he’s done wrong,” said commentator Sam Torrance on the broadcast. Torrance, a Scotsman, has been a teammate of Poulter’s on many Ryder Cup teams.
Justin Rose Withdraws
England’s Justin Rose withdrew from the Open with a back injury prior to his 8:14 a.m. starting time with fellow countryman Tommy Fleetwood and Italy’s Francesco Molinari.
He was replaced by Japan’s Rikuya Hoshino.
Webb Simpson Leads Early
North Carolinian Webb Simpson started in the first group and birdied Nos. 3, 5, and 7 to get to 3 under. He gave a shot back at the 8th.
The 2012 U.S. Open champion finished T19 at last year’s British Open and his best finish in the championship is a T12 in 2018.
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Here’s his birdie at the 3rd hole with The Open’s three-dimensional ShotView:
Notable Thursday Tee Times
The 150th Open began at 1:35 a.m. ET (6:35 a.m. in St. Andrews) with Game No. 1 of 1999 champion Paul Lawrie, Webb Simpson and Min Woo Lee. Threesomes will continue off the 1st tee until 11:16 a.m. ET/4:16 p.m. local. Here are some other notable groups (all times eastern):
2:30 a.m.: Phil Mickelson, Lucas Herbert, Kurt Kitayama
2:52 a.m.: Bryson DeChambeau, John Daly, Cameron Tringale
3:03 a.m.: Cameron Smith, Brooks Koepka, Seamus Power
4:58 a.m.: Collin Morikawa, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele
5:09 a.m.: Shane Lowry, Justin Thomas, Viktor Hovland
8:26 a.m.: Scottie Scheffler, Joaquin Niemann, Tyrrell Hatton
9:59 a.m.: Tiger Woods, Matt Fitzpatrick, Max Homa
10:10 a.m.: Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm, Harold Varner III
Click here for complete Round 1 and 2 tee times
A Look at the Forecast
Any forecast for the coast of Scotland should be taken with a grain of salt, but the firm and fast conditions players found during practice rounds are expected to continue with relatively mild winds.
Weather.com
Latest Betting Odds
Rory McIlroy is the betting favorite as he tries to end an eight-year major drought, though +1000 seems like a short number with such a stacked field. Xander Schauffele, a winner in his last two starts on the PGA Tour, is the second favorite at +1400. Here’s a quick look at the favorites and notables, according to the SI Sportsbook:
Rory McIlroy +1000
Xander Schauffele +1400
Jordan Spieth +1600
Jon Rahm +1800
Matthew Fitzpatrick +1800
Scottie Scheffler +1800
Justin Thomas +2000
Cameron Smith +2200
Shane Lowry +2200
Patrick Cantlay +2500
Collin Morikawa +2800
Will Zalatoris +2800
Dustin Johnson +3000
Tommy Fleetwood +3300
Sam Burns +4000
Tony Finau +4000
Hideki Matsuyama +4000
Tyrrell Hatton +4000
Brooks Koepka +4500
Max Homa +4500
Tiger Woods +8000
Bryson DeChambeau +9000
Phil Mickelson +25000
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