It was 6:35 Thursday morning at Royal Birkdale, the stands at the first tee were full, the rain was coming in sideways, it was windy and chilly.
Welcome to the Open Championship.
Mark O’Meara was the first guy off, all that was missing was the well-known, high-pitch voice of long-time starter Ivor Robson, who retired last year.
O’Meara’s first swing of the championship did not go well. It sailed high and right then floundered out-of-bounds.
O’Meara, at age 60, may be be playing for the final time. The 1998 champion shot 81. This is no country for old men unless your last name is Watson or Morris.
It would become a day for young Americans.
Jordan Spieth suddenly began to look more like the Jordan Spieth of 2015 as the winds died down, the rain vanished and by early afternoon, the sun actually made his appearance.
He would be followed by U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka, who hasn’t played a lick since that triumphant Sunday at Erin Hills. Didn’t matter, there was no rust on Koepka.
Then came the Olympic Bronze Medalist. Yes, there were a few shrouded “Kooooooch” calls for Matt Kuchar. He earned them with a 29 over his first nine holes.
Together these three well-known Americans dominated the top of the leaderboard. They all shot 65 and tied for the first round lead. They all could have gone lower and would tell you so.
JORDAN SPIETH: Spieth opened his day with an insulated vest and he picked his way around Birkdale. He didn’t drive it that well, but when he was errant, he found good fortune. He hit just five fairways but found 15 greens in regulation. There were no bogey-free rounds at Royal Birkdale during the 2008 Open Championship. Spieth took care of that business with his bogey-free 65 to sit at the top with his fellow Ryder-Cuppers. “I’d give it nines across the board,” Spieth responded when asked to rate his day. “It was a gettable golf course,” Spieth said as he finished in the good conditions. “I tried to keep my head down. A really good day. Don’t know what to expect the next few days. It’s Birkdale, you have to respect it. Where I’m sitting now (five-under) may be good enough to win.”
Spieth was near-perfect on the greens until the 18th, when he parked a nine-iron approach within six feet for birdie. He missed, leaving 64 behind. He mentioned the impending conditions for Friday with the forecast calling for high winds and rain. “I hope they’re wrong,” Spieth said of the forecasters.
BROOKS KOEPKA: Things are going to go your way when you use just 21 putts for a round in a major championship. That putting was Koepka’s strength on Thursday. He was four-under when he made a 15-foot par saving putt at the par three 14th. He lost one to the field when he didn’t birdie the 15th, the par five playing easiest of the day. Then at 16 he suffered his only bogey. Huge bounce-back at the par five 17th when he holed out for eagle from a greenside pot bunker. That eagle would boost him to 65 with Spieth. “Pretty solid,” was how the U.S. Open champ rated his day. “I feel like I hit it in too many bunkers. Short game feels good, everything feels good.” That 65 felt pretty good too, no doubt.
MATT KUCHAR: Kooch had the place rocking with five birdies over his first nine holes. His 29 on the front had everyone buzzing about the possibility of a major record 62. But then Kooch dropped anchor on the back nine. Nine straight pars, total boredom but his 65 wasn’t. “The later your tee time the better draw you got,” Kuchar pointed out after his 65 was in the books. “To start with a 29 was a good way to start. It’s Thursday, we’ll wait until Sunday and see what the leaderboard looks like.”
Kuchar left shots on the course with no birdies on the two par fives.
At day’s end, however, it was a red-white-and-blue board at the top.
Two major champions and one who could be.
Long way to go, lots of wind to come, more rain, more Open weather.
Spieth was right, before it’s all over, all three may be sitting on what could be the winning score — five-under par.
