Tom McKibbin got off to a solid start on Thursday in his Open Championship debut. The 21-year-old from Northern Ireland shot a two-over-par 73 at Royal Troon in difficult conditions.
“It was tricky,” McKibbin told reporters after. “Didn’t play great at all really. Especially the back nine, it was the harder nine. Just a few shots and a few silly decisions here and there.”
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What wasn’t tricky for the young man was describing the difference between European and American golf fans. After experiencing the latter last month at Pinehurst No. 2 during a T-41 in his U.S. Open debut, McKibbin succinctly summed it up like this.
“It was good,” McKibbin said of dealing with the crowds. “It was definitely a lot different than the States, a lot more clapping and less shouting.”
Hey, he’s got a point. Especially considering American is the home of “GET IN THE HOLE!” guy, his brother “MASHED POTATOS!” man, and their weird cousin “GET INSIDE ME!” dude. Those peeps are not our finest fan examples.
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“Yeah, it was great,” McKibbin continued. “It was a good day. As you said, very early this morning, a lot of people out here. Yeah, it was a cool experience, just what I’d seen on TV before.”
And just what he’d heard. Golf claps all around.
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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
