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Open Championship Round 1 Recap
Conditions were very mild during the first round and scoring was low. Sergio Garcia putted incredibly on his way to a first round Carnoustie record and Tiger Woods is only four shots back.
The old adage of, "you can’t win a major championship in the first round but you certainly can lose it" seems to be a universal truth. How did it play out at Carnoustie in the first round of the Open Championship?
Although the players were greeted with cool temperatures and light rain, the major factor – Scottish wind was for the most part absent and several players were able to take advantage and produce some impressive low scores. In fact, in the seven Open Championships hosted at Carnoustie, never has the first round scoring been so low. The previous first round scoring record of 68 set by Peter Oosterhaus in 1978 was shatter today by Sergio Garcia’s 66 and several other players including Paul McGinley and Michael Campbell also recorded low scores.
The biggest story of the first round was without a doubt, the revitalized Sergio Garcia who had his best putting round in many years paired with another of his fantastic ball striking performance on his way to a score of 65. Garcia switched to a belly putter for the first time and from the fist hole on, he exuded confidence as he putted marvelously throughout his round. In the past, Garcia’s biggest hurdle has been his performance with the putter, which seemed hesitant and nervous, especially compared to his fearless, smooth full swing. However, the belly putter appears to have cured Garcia’s putting woes. He seemed to release the putter smoothly and controlled his speed on the greens far better, especially on long putts. "With the short putter it seems to be very highs and lows. So I wanted to be a bit more of a flat line. I wanted to be a bit more consistent. It still feels like I can make a lot of putts with the belly," said Garcia.
Just three shots behind Garcia, 18 year old amateur Rory McIlroy shot an impressive bogey free 68 in his first major championship ever. Hailing from Ireland, McIlroy is no stranger to competitive golf. He left school at 16 and has been playing amateur golf full time, including competing in professional events and plans to turn pro this fall after competing in the Ryder Cup. McIlroy said, "I think because I pretty much grew up on playing links golf, it is probably a bit of an advantage. In the winter I play Royal County Down and played Portrush, and I think that stands me in good stead."
However, the leader board is a crowded place, Angel Cabrera, the most recent U.S. Open champion, and ‘05 U.S. Open Champion Michael Campbell are both tied with McIlroy at 68, and Irishman Paul McGinley is just two shots off the lead. Tiger Woods’s bid for a third consecutive Claret Jug began promisingly. Woods is four shots behind. The highlight of his round today was a text book eagle at the par 5 6th hole which consisted of driver, seven iron, and a putt for eagle. Woods made the turn at 33, but struggled a bit on the back nine, coming in with a score of 36.
With a tightly packed leader board and the looming presence of Scotland weather none of the players are likely to be resting comfortably tonight. At the drop of a hat, forty mile an hour winds and icy temperatures could easily turn the leader board upside down.
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Morning 9: 58 on the Korn Ferry Tour | Rory on possible return to policy board
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans
GolfWRX is live on site this week at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans for the PGA Tour’s one-and-only two-man team event.
As usual, general galleries, WITBs, and pullout albums — including some pretty spicy custom putters and headcovers — await your viewing.
Be sure to check back for more photos from the Big Easy, as we’ll continue to update this page with additional galleries throughout the week.
General Albums
- 2024 Zurich Classic – Monday #1
- 2024 Zurich Classic – Monday #2
- 2024 Zurich Classic – Tuesday #1
- 2024 Zurich Classic – Tuesday #2
WITB Albums
- Alex Fitzpatrick – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Austin Cook – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Alejandro Tosti – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Davis Riley – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- MJ Daffue – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Nate Lashley – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- James Nicholas – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Kevin Streelman – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Rasmus Hojgaard – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Tom Whitney – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- SangMoon Bae – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Daniel Berger – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Rory McIlroy – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Russ Cochrane – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Aldrich Potgieter – WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Steve Stricker WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Drew Brees WITB (Legendary New Orleans Saints QB) – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Derek Carr (New Orleans Saints QB) – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Thriston Lawrence WITB – 2024 Zurich Classic
Pullout Albums
- MJ Daffue’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Cameron putters – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Swag covers ( a few custom for Nick Hardy) – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Custom Bettinardi covers for Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Doug Ghim’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Zurich Classic
- Patrick Cantlay spotted testing a Scotty Cameron blade putter – 2024 Zurich Classic
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Morning 9: Tiger’s TGL teammates | Woosnam’s criticism of Cantlay | Rory’s return to tour policy board
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