The Open round review: Shane Lowry trails Dan Brown at Royal Troon - PGA TOUR (2024)

    Written by Staff @PGATOUR

    The first round of The Open at Royal Troon is in the books, and a Cinderella story is atop the leaderboard. Dan Brown, the world’s 272nd-ranked player, is one shot ahead of Shane Lowry at Royal Troon.

    It was a day when the field faced a myriad of conditions, and many of the game’s biggest names struggled in the inclement weather. Here’s everything you need to know from the first round at Royal Troon.

    The leader

    Brown’s 65 on Thursday came in his first round in a major championship. The 29-year-old, winner of one DP World Tour event, went through qualifying to make the field at Royal Troon. Brown was bogey-free Thursday.

    Storylines

    Tiger at Troon: Tiger Woods showed glimpses of promise Thursday at The 152nd Open Championship, but he failed to maintain a rhythm in any facet. The result was a frustrating 8-over 79 at Royal Troon, well outside the projected cut line into Friday's second round on the Scottish coast.

    "I didn't do a lot of things right today," Woods said afterward. "I didn't hit my irons very close, and I didn't give myself a whole lot of looks today. I need to shoot something in the mid-60s tomorrow to get something going on the weekend.

    Tiger Woods opens with par at The Open

    Full circle for Thomas: What a difference a year makes.

    Justin Thomas opened last year’s Open Championship with an 82, a round that was indicative of the struggles that marred his 2023 season. He left Royal Birkdale concerned with his position in the FedExCup Playoffs (he’d fail to qualify for golf’s postseason) and on the U.S. Ryder Cup team (he received a captain’s pick onto the roster).

    Now Thomas is the early leader at The Open after shooting 68 on Thursday at Royal Troon.

    Justin Thomas sinks lengthy birdie putt to finish his day at The Open

    Thomas had five birdies in his opening 10 holes, then endured a double and bogey on Nos. 12 and 13. Birdies at the last two holes gave him a 68.

    “I’m extremely pleased,” Thomas said after the round. “Birdieing those last two holes leaves a completely different taste in my mouth. I felt like I only had one bad swing today and it cost me, but even there I was a short putt away from saving bogey. I tried to stay patient and keep my head down.”

    Return to sender: The Postage Stamp is a beguiling hole, and it got the best of Rory McIlroy, who is off to a slow start Thursday at The Open. McIlroy made double on the 118-yard hole and was 2-over par after his first eight holes of The Open.

    McIlroy’s wedge shot onto the eighth green bounced twice and looked to stop right of the pin, but it slowly trickled into a deep bunker right of the green. McIlroy’s first attempt from the bunker didn’t make it onto the green and rolled back into the bunker. He hit his next shot well past the hole, ensuring his ball would stay safely on the putting surface. He two-putted for double.

    McIlroy arrived at Royal Troon after finishing fourth at last week’s Genesis Scottish Open, his first start since his heartbreak in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst. He finished T5 in the 2016 Open at Royal Troon.

    McIlroy had a run-in with another Royal Troon landmark on the 11th hole, hitting his tee shot onto the railroad tracks that give the hole its name. He made another double there to fall to 5 over.

    He signed for a 78 on Thursday, his highest round in a major since the opening round of The Open at Royal Portrush in 2019.

    Big names struggle: McIlroy wasn’t the only big name to struggle Thursday. It was an underwhelming day for many of the sport’s top stars, who were caught off guard by an unusual west/northwesterly wind off the coast of the Firth of Clyde. What was expected to be a gettable downwind opening nine turned into a cutthroat start that featured gusts upwards of 30 mph straight into the players' faces.

    Among the players who will need a Friday rally to play the weekend at Royal Troon are Woods (79, 8-over), McIlroy (78), Wyndham Clark (78), Theegala (77), Homa (76), Bryson DeChambeau (76), Tommy Fleetwood (76), Hideki Matsuyama (75), Viktor Hovland (75) and Ludvig Aberg (75).

    “That's the beauty of The Open,” said Tom Kim, who shot 76. “There's so many things you have to be smart about, and you have to try to predict bounces. I'm actually kind of looking forward to seeing how the scores are going to be in the afternoon.”

    The Open round review: Shane Lowry trails Dan Brown at Royal Troon - PGA TOUR (2024)

    FAQs

    The Open round review: Shane Lowry trails Dan Brown at Royal Troon - PGA TOUR? ›

    The Open round review: Shane Lowry trails Dan Brown at Royal Troon. The first round of The Open at Royal Troon is in the books, and a Cinderella story is atop the leaderboard. Dan Brown, the world's 272nd-ranked player, is one shot ahead of Shane Lowry at Royal Troon.

    Did Tiger Woods make the cut in the British Open? ›

    Tiger Woods among notables to miss cut at The British Open Championship Royal Troon. Tiger Woods lamented his lack of competitive reps, never got anything going, and never came close to making the cut at The Open Championship at Royal Troon.

    Is it the Open or the British Open? ›

    The event's official name, as explained in this op-ed by former R&A chairman Ian Pattinson, is the Open Championship. But since many United States golf fans continue to refer to it as the British Open, and search news around the event accordingly, Golf Digest continues to utilize both names in its coverage.

    Where is the British Open in 2024? ›

    Find out on Sunday. A new champion will be crowned Sunday at the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon. If you're wondering what channel the British Open is on Sunday, we have you covered.

    Who won the Royal Troon? ›

    1:22 p.m. ET: As the final pairing of Billy Horschel and Thirston Lawrence tees off at the par-4 18th, neither player making ace, Xander Schauffele officially wins The 152nd Open at Royal Troon.

    Did Rory miss the cut at the Open? ›

    "Twenty-two holes into the event and I'm thinking about where I'm going to go on vacation next week," McIlroy said after rounds of 78-75 to miss the cut by five shots. Whatever he had in mind for vacation, his next thought was how to salvage another season that will not include a trophy from the four biggest events.

    Did Tiger miss the cut? ›

    Tiger Woods misses third consecutive major cut; vows it's not an Open goodbye. Tiger Woods acknowledges the crowd as he walks off the 18th green after finishing his second round of the Open Championship at Royal Troon in Scotland.

    Why do Americans call it the British Open? ›

    The tournament inspired other national bodies to introduce open golf tournaments of their own, such as the U.S. Open, and later many others. To distinguish it from their own national open, it became common in many countries to refer to the tournament as the "British Open".

    Why don t they call it the British Open anymore? ›

    In response to the new Opens, defined by nationality, the R&A was clear and unequivocal: The Open was not the British Open. At no stage in the Championship's history have the minutes, entry forms or programmes of the R&A ever referred to it as the "British Open".

    Has anyone won the US Open and the British Open in the same year? ›

    The last time that happened was in 1982 when Craig Stadler won the Masters, Tom Watson won the U.S. and British Opens and Raymond Floyd won the PGA. Schauffele, who played collegiately at San Diego State, also became the first player since Rory McIlroy in 2014 to win the PGA and British Open in the same year.

    Where will The Open be held in 2026? ›

    2026: Royal Birkdale Golf Club – Southport, England

    The Open Championship returns to England with a visit to Royal Birkdale in 2026, which is not far from the site of the 2023 Open at Royal Liverpool. This will be Birkdale's 11th time hosting golf's oldest major despite only joining the rota in 1954.

    Where will the 2025 U.S. Open be played? ›

    Oakmont, Pennsylvania

    Oakmont will host the 2025 U.S. Open, June 12-15.

    Where will the British Open be played in 2025? ›

    The Open returns to Northern Ireland

    After its hugely successful staging of The Open in 2019, Royal Portrush will serve as host again in 2025.

    Why is Troon called royal troon? ›

    Royal designation

    Troon was granted its "Royal" designation in 1978, during its centenary. Its clubhouse, designed by Henry Edward Clifford and built in 1886, is richly decorated with historical golf artifacts.

    What was the hardest hole at Royal Troon? ›

    The 11th hole at Royal Troon, 'Railway', is a brute in every sense at 495 yards. In 1997 it was the hardest hole, likewise in 2004. On the opening day it played with an unusual helping wind but still wreaked havoc and notably added two shots to Rory McIlroy's scorecard.

    Has Xander ever won a major? ›

    Xander Schauffele sticks to script, wins second major at The British Open Championship. TROON, Scotland – The plan is working. Xander Schauffele stuck to the script that won him his first major at this year's PGA Championship, and it paid off again at Royal Troon Golf Club.

    Who missed the cut at the British Open 2024? ›

    2024 Open: Notable golfers missing the cut
    PlayerScore
    Bryson DeChambeau+9
    Viktor Hovland+10
    Tony Finau+10
    Tom Kim+11
    9 more rows
    3 days ago

    Who didn't make the cut in the British Open? ›

    Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods Among Missed Cuts at British Open. The cut fell at 6 over after two challenging days of weather at Royal Troon.

    Who makes the cut at the British Open? ›

    The cut at the British Open is top 70 and ties, meaning anyone who is within the top 70 — or tied with the 70th-place player — will play the weekend, and will earn a share of the Open's record $17 million purse.

    How did Tiger Woods do in the British Open today? ›

    Woods matched his highest 36-hole score as a professional — 156 — to miss the cut for the third straight time in a major. He tapped in for a routine par on the 18th hole at Royal Troon and signed for a 6-over 77, a round that got away from him early with a double bogey and never improved during the day.

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