Shane Lowry entered the British Open at Royal Troon on Thursday looking unbeatable.
The 2019 British Open champion shot a bogey-free 5-under 66 in tough conditions. He’s in sole second place, one stroke behind Daniel Brown, who shot a bogey-free 6-under 65.
Only 17 players shot below par in the first round – a testament to the 25 mph winds that blew across Royal Troon – and very few players had any issues on their scorecards.
But Lawry’s preparation for the tournament has landed him atop the leaderboard after the first day, having played multiple practice rounds early on and taking advantage of later tee times.
“I’m very happy. I went to the golf course. Luckily I watched a lot of golf this morning and I know the golf course is not easy,” Lawrie said.
“I just went out there and played my game, hit some good shots and tried to hole some putts, and I was able to do that, so I’m very happy.”
The Irishman had 25 putts at the end of the first round, tied for the lead among the field, and he finished with three birdies in the first nine holes for a three-under 33.
Rowley is another Par-breaker on the 11th holeand the final birdie came on the 18th hole.
He explained that a trip to Royal Troon two weeks prior had helped him become familiar with the greens.
“When you come back after a season on the PGA Tour, you sometimes struggle with the speed of the greens,” Lawrie said.
“I came out here and played a couple of practice rounds here and I’m really happy with my speed. I wasn’t struggling to get the ball to the hole, as you can sometimes. I had really good speed control and I was seeing the lines well. On links greens, once you start to see the lines the holes feel a lot bigger. That’s what I felt today and hopefully it continues like this.”
The 66 remains the lowest opening score at a major tournament – Lawrie shot a 67 on day one at Royal Portrush in 2019 – and while he was happy with the score, the 37-year-old remained realistic.
“It’s just one day. We have three more days,” Rowley said.
“I just felt like the crowd was really excited for some reason so I kept telling myself that. The crowd was really excited and it just felt like a weekend. I just kept telling myself I still have a lot to do and I’ve got a few more days to go so I just stayed in my lane, hit some good shots and was pretty happy with how I played.”
Photo: Pedro Salado/Getty Images
Lawrie said he’ll do whatever it takes to win the tournament again, but he doesn’t want to think too far ahead — his first-round score won’t mean anything if he doesn’t play well over the next three days.
So with 54 holes remaining, the Irishman seems to be settling in. Normally Lawrie likes to play an early round on Thursday and a late round on Friday, but it’s the opposite this week. A quick turnaround should allow him to play at his best.
The situation will likely be similar in the Friday round of the Open.
“If that happens, it’s not going to be an easy match and par will be a good thing. That’s kind of the game plan,” Lawrie said.
Lawrie will take to the field at 4:47 a.m. ET alongside Cameron Smith and Matt Fitzpatrick in the second round as he looks to build on his score of 66 and win his second Claret Jug.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow us for more golf articles. Follow You can follow us on all major social platforms. You can also follow us on Twitter Follow Her Instagram account is @golf_girl_sl.
