Cameron Smith was welcomed to the first tee at the 151st Open on Thursday morning to raucous applause and warmly announced as “the defending champion.” Less friendly, though, was the golf course at Royal Liverpool as the Australian began his title defence with a one-over-par 72.
Royal Liverpool member Matthew Jordan knew he was never going to walk alone, even when his girlfriend had to leave the gallery Thursday morning to go to work.
The current majors rota of the Masters, US Open, Open Championship and PGA Championship has been established since 1934, when the Masters was inaugurated, and since then, there hasn’t seemed to be much appetite from fans or the golf establishment to add to that. Chamblee calls that thinking “antiquated”.
The former Masters champion has played several practice rounds with Smith at Royal Liverpool and says the 29-year-old Queenslander has even more swagger than he did last year.
Adam Scott and Royal Liverpool have history. The Australian star is the only player in the 151st Open Championship field who finished in the top 10 in both the 2006 and 2014 Opens at Royal Liverpool.
Standing at 6-foot-8, South African Christo Lamprecht crushes the golf ball unlike any of the 156 players in the field. The 22-year-old leads a six-strong amateur contingent at Royal Liverpool.
The 10-player Australian contingent teeing up at the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool this week includes everything from an amateur and a 36-hole final qualifier all the way up to the tournament’s defending champion, Cameron Smith. We’ve got everything, including several solid chances at victory.
The rakes aren’t the ones Royal Liverpool Golf Club usually uses, according to one member of the club. They’ve been put into play especially for Open week, and the issue specifically is that they’re wide tooth rakes.
The G Le3 family offers a full set of performance-engineered, custom-made clubs that deliver added distance, unmatched forgiveness, a confidence-inspiring look and a pleasing sound.
Foster revealed the reason he thinks he became the GOAT’s caddie, and it all goes back to the 2002 Ryder Cup when he bailed the legendary golfer out in the locker room toilets at The Belfry.