Early Movers and Shakers
Royal St. George’s drew back its cloak and dagger on Day 1, and invited guests in with a bit of English charm. A pair of unlikely leaders stole the show, as Thomas Bjorn and amateur Tom Lewis finished at -5 (65).
It was a record-setting performance for Lewis, who broke an amateur record for low round, previously held at 66 by three others, including Tiger Woods.
Bjorn meanwhile, revisited a form that has eluded him in recent years. Redemption may be in order for the 40-year-old from Denmark, who watched his best opportunity to snag the Claret Jug slip away at Royal St. George’s in 2003. The greenside bunker at the par-3 16th served as a burial ground, as Bjorn surrendered a double-bogey 5, and his two stroke lead.
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6768837
There were plenty of available birdies to go around to the 35 players who finished under par. A slew of others trudged in at even par, including Phil Mickelson who posted a surprisingly steady round of 70.
The world’s new darling, Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy shot a +1 71 in his first competitive round since winning the U.S. Open in June. Defending champion Louis Oosthuizen stammered around for a 72, while the course’s defending champion from 2003, Ben Curtis, derailed his chances with a 7-over 77.
A pair of Americans came in at -4, with Lucas Glover and Webb Simpson appearing out of relative anonymity. The golfer formerly known as Miguel Angel Jimenez (Now Miguel Jimenez it seems), also rounded out the top-5 with a 66. A bundle of competitors congregated at -2, including two of 2010’s major winners, Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell.
The anticipation of a stormy weekend looms, as players will bear down and try to continue the low scoring trend on Friday. Powerful gusts of up to 30 mph are expected, further complicating the leaderboard.
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