Open Championship golf 2022 as it happened – Rory McIlroy in the mix with 66 as Tiger Woods suffers nightmare
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Updated 14/07/2022 at 21:38 GMT
A world-class field chase the Claret Jug at St Andrews, with Tiger Woods the main attraction as he bids for a fourth Open title. Major winners Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Jon Rahm and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler are among the favourites as Collin Morikawa bids to become the first player to defend the Claret Jug since Padraig Harrington in 2008.
‘A greater impact on the game than any course in history’ - Hole-by-hole guide to the Old Course
21:10 – Thanks for joining us
We will back at midday on Friday for the second round of the 150th Open Championship.
21:05 – Birdie at the last for Fitzpatrick
He rolls in the putt for 3 at 18. He is level par with a 72. Woods sees his attempt for a 3 slide past the hole. Looks like a 78. In goes the par putt. +6 and 78. A long way back to make the cut. Max Homa finishes with birdie to sign for a round of 73.
21:00 – 150TH OPEN LATEST LEADERBOARD
- -8 Cameron Young (64)
- -6 Rory McIlroy (66)
- -5 Cameron Smith (67)
- -5 Robert Dinwoodie (67)
- -4 Barclay Brown (68)
- -4 Kurt Kitayama (68)
- -4 Lee Westwood (68)
- -4 Brad Kennedy (68)
- -4 Viktor Hovland (68)
- -4 Dustin Johnson (68)
- -4 Talor Gooch (68)
- -4 Scottie Scheffler (68)
20:55 – Harrington finishes with birdie
A lovely round of 69 from the former Ryder Cup captain. Right in the hunt for a third Claret Jug.
20:51 – Homa takes his medicine
Nicely out with his second shot in the bunker. Woods with a putt from 50 feet. Rolls it up and should make a par 4 on the 17th hole. Fitzpatrick slots his par 4 to remain at +1.
20:45 – Homa finds the road hole bunker on 17
That is not where anybody wants to be. Woods with his second shot at the 17th. Rolls his ball up to the front of the green. Fine shot from the semi on the penultimate hole. Fitzpatrick safely out with his bunker shot, but Homa is right up against the lip.
20:35 – Rahm and Spieth battle on
Rahm at +1 with Spieth on -1 playing in the group behind Woods. Difficult scoring conditions, but they are both hanging on for dear life in the death throes of this 1st round.
20:30 – Woods continues struggles
Tiger's group heading for a six-hour round out there. Another shot dropped on the 16th after he got out of position off the tee. He can't believe it, but it is written on the scoreboards. Woods at +6 does not make for pleasant reading. Two holes remaining.
20:20 – Scheffler almost holes eagle at the last
Don't see many of them, but the world No. 1 almost did a Nick Faldo tribute shot at 18 from 1990. Almost, but not quite. Still, a 68 was the best of the afternoon starters.
20:12 – Tiger with a par on 15th hole
Long putt from 20 feet or so. Super putt from distance, but inches away from birdie. He remains at +5. Another par from Fitzpatrick to hold his interest on level par. Three holes remaining for the marquee group.
20:05 – 150TH OPEN LATEST LEADERBOARD
- -8 Cameron Young (64)
- -6 Rory McIlroy (66)
- -5 Cameron Smith (67)
- -4 Barclay Brown (68)
- -4 Kurt Kitayama (68)
- -4 Lee Westwood (68)
- -4 Brad Kennedy (68)
- -4 Viktor Hovland (68)
- -4 Dustin Johnson (68)
- -4 Talor Gooch (68)
- -4 Scottie Scheffler (68)
20:03 – Harrington continues ascent
The two-time Open champion finds himself on -3 at the 15th hole. No heroics needed for the Irishman heading for home.
20:00 – Woods with a timely birdie
Superb stuff from Woods. He rolls the putt from 70 feet up to the hole side from just off the green. And that is a fantastic birdie on 14. Back to +5.
19:47 – Woods with a thumping drive on 14
Fairly got his muscle into that one. Only a short flick to the green as he attempts to regain some of the lost ground, but 188 yards to the green and he can't find the dance floor with an upslope killing the momentum. A taxing day for Tiger.
19:40 – World No. 1 Scheffler signs for 68
Scheffler almost rattled his second shot to the 18th hole into cup for an eagle, but ends up being forced him to settle for a par. Classic Open golf with shots easily scattered on the wind.
19:35 – How are the old champions faring?
Not too terrible for the 2007 and 2008 winner Padraig Harrington, who is -2 on the 13 while 2010 winner Louis Oosthuizen is level par on the 14th. Decent effort.
19:26 – 150TH OPEN LATEST LEADERBOARD
- -8 Cameron Young (64)
- -6 Rory McIlroy (66)
- -5 Cameron Smith (67)
- -4 Barclay Brown (68)
- -4 Kurt Kitayama (68)
- -4 Lee Westwood (68)
- -4 Brad Kennedy (68)
- -4 Viktor Hovland (68)
- -4 Dustin Johnson (68)
- -4 Talor Gooch (68)
- -4 Scottie Scheffler (68)
19:21 – Rock DJ
Superb stuff from Dustin Johnson at the 18th as he pitches to 10 feet before rolling in the birdie. Johnson joins fellow LIV man Westwood on -4 with a brilliant 68.
19:15 – Tiger slumps to +6
Birdies are needed, but Woods is piling up the bogeys. Suddenly drops to six over the card. Was nowhere with his second shot on 13 and takes another three shots from miles away. Looks like Friday will be a battle to make the cut.
19:08 – The old Tiger stinger
In all of its glory for you to enjoy.
19:02 – Beam me up Scottie
Scheffler maintains momentum. No birdie on 16 for the Masters winner, but a 4-4 finish would see him sign for a delightful opening round of 68. Easier said than done.
18:55 – Woods misses birdie chance at 12
Chance to get himself back to +4, but he throws in a quick stab and sees the putt miss on the left side from a few feet. That is a tough one to take. He stays +5 which didn't look likely after that classy second shot.
18:52 – Westwood defends LIV move
It is the subject that will never go away. Lee Westwood states his case after carding a brilliant round of 68 today.
18:50 – 150TH OPEN LATEST LEADERBOARD
- -8 Cameron Young (64)
- -6 Rory McIlroy (66)
- -5 Cameron Smith (67)
- -4 Barclay Brown (68)
- -4 Kurt Kitayama (68)
- -4 Lee Westwood (68)
- -4 Brad Kennedy (68)
- -4 Viktor Hovland (68)
- -4 Scottie Scheffler (15)
18:36 – World No 1 Scheffler stays in touch
Scottie Scheffler well in the ball game here. Long putt for birdie on 15, but wriggles in the par putt coming back to remain at -4 with three holes remaining.
18:28 – Woods drops a shot on 11
Well, that is disappointing. Needed three putts from front of green as the par saver stays up. Was not easy, but did not envisage giving a shot back to the course after his birdie surge on 9 and 10. Back to +5 for the day. Which leaves Tiger on course for a 77.
18:22 – Drama at the road hole bunker
It is fair to say Si Woo Kim won't forget the 17th hole in a hurry. Remarkable way to save par on his way to signing for a fine 69.
18:17 – Spieth in trouble on 10
Jordan on -2, but having to take a drop after driving into a gorse bush at the par-4 10th. Looks like one shot might disappear here. Certainly doesn't want to run up any more. Intelligent shot to the heart of the green and he will have a putt from distance to save par.
18:10 – Woods with smart approach on 11
176 yards to the pin and he covers most of them with a 6 iron. Chance of birdie from 20 feet or so. Looking more like himself out there.
18:04 – Fitzpatrick finds a birdie, Woods follows
The US Open champion Fitzpatrick makes his first birdie of the tournament to drag himself back to level par at the 10th hole. Woods finishes off in style. Chance to really get his teeth into this back nine with the wind behind him.
18:01 – Woods on a roll?
A superb little pitch shot from Woods for his second shot at the 10th. Knocks it to a couple of feet from the hole. Should be certain birdie to begin the back 9. Should be back to +4 here. Crowd are loving it.
17:57 – Scoring harder to come by in afternoon?
That leaderboard has not altered much since Rory signed for his 66 a few hours ago. The nearest challengers to Cameron Young's 64 are major winners Dustin Johnson and Scottie Scheffler, who are both at -3 on 13.
17:50 – Tiger with some bounce in his stride
Can he get this show on the road? A lovely tee shot at the 10th hole from Woods. Misses both of the fairway bunkers. And has a short approach shot at the outset of his back nine as he chases back-to-back birdies.
17:45 – Tiger with his first birdie of day
A big smile from Woods as he unearths his first birdie of the day on the 9th hole with a 15 footer for a 3 after he ran through the back of the green with his tee shot. Back to +5. Out in 41. Homa with a birdie to get back to level par. Fitzpatrick remains at +1 after he can only come up with a par.
17:33 – Tiger with a par at the 8th hole
Safe par on the par-3 8th hole. Nice tee shot and he runs an inventive mid-range iron up to the hole rather than wedge it. Keeps himself on +6 for the day.
17:30 – 150TH OPEN LATEST LEADERBOARD
- -8 Cameron Young (64)
- -6 Rory McIlroy (66)
- -5 Cameron Smith (67)
- -4 Barclay Brown (68)
- -4 Kurt Kitayama (68)
- -4 Lee Westwood (68)
- -4 Brad Kennedy (68)
- -4 Viktor Hovland (68)
- -4 Scottie Scheffler (12)
17:20 – Woods with a second 6 of 1st round
Day seems to be going from bad to worse at moment. Another two shots disappear at the 7th hole as the great man falls to +6. Finding all sorts of problems and is 14 adrift of the lead. Can he find some magic? Found a fairway bunker and paid the price for that error.
17:15 – Birdies all round
Some nice stuff coming off the putter face of Spieth and Rahm at the 6th hole. Two birdies and both men move to -2 for the day.
17:10 – How to play the 17th hole
A terrific shot on the 17th from John Parry. Superb approach shot from the English player.
17:00 – Woods saves par on 6
A brilliant read of the green from Woods as he slots putt for par 4 from 18 feet. He remains at +4, but will that get him going?
16:50 – Woods cuts increasingly dejected figure
Second shot to the 6th hole fails to find its range. Gave it a fair old whack, but short of pace. Uphill from off green with the putter. Needs to hole an 18-foot putt to avoid dropping to +5. Not happening for Tiger so far.
16:50 – Spieth with birdie chance missed
That is the way you want to play the 5th hole. Solid putt from just off green. A safe three footer, but he knocks it wide. Well, that is a shocking miss. Rahm with a par to remain at -1. Spieth can't quite believe that error.
16:42 – Spieth with solid approach to 5
Jordan and playing partner Jon Rahm at -1 on the 5th hole. Rahm short of the green, but Spieth's ball bobbles up on the level. Great chance of a birdie for Spieth.
16:35 – Marquee group struggling
This group not really cashing in on the par-5 5th hole. And the three of them are all struggling so far. Woods +4, Matt Fitzpatrick and Max Homa +1.
16:23 – 150TH OPEN LATEST LEADERBOARD
- -8 Cameron Young (64)
- -6 Rory McIlroy (66)
- -5 Cameron Smith (67)
- -4 Barclay Brown (68)
- -4 Kurt Kitayama (68)
- -4 Lee Westwood (68)
- -4 Brad Kennedy (68)
- -4 Viktor Hovland (68)
- -4 Paul Casey (10)
- -4 Scottie Scheffler (9)
16:16 – Masters champion in the mix
Scottie Scheffler cans another birdie on the 9th hole. The world No. 1 is out in 32 blows to lie four off the lead. Consistency of stroke and thought.
16:12 – Woods sees another shot go
Tiger with a three putt from the front of the fourth hole. Short with the first putt and could not salvage the par. Difficult to see where the fairways end and greens start at St Andrews. +4 after 4 holes is a nightmarish start.
16:10 – Woods facing long day
In more ways than one. Tiger has been out on course for over an hour and has yet to complete the 4th hole at the Old Course. That is seriously slow play.
16:05 – What did McIlroy make of his opening 66?
"Have to make your score going out and I did that. The back nine even though it's downwind is trick," he said. "I birdied the holes I should have today. The course is firm and it's about limiting your mistakes...I'm putting well, I'm thinking well and think that's the most important part this week on this course."
16:00 – McIlroy in contention
An assured round of golf from Rory in the 1st round. 66 blows sees him occupy 2nd spot on his own behind Cameron Young.
Read about it here: McIlroy cruises round Old Course to sit two off clubhouse lead of Young
15:55 – Jon Rahm on the move
Big Jon at level par punches a superb second shot to two feet at the 3rd hole. Looks like he might be heading under par in next few minutes.
15:50 – Woods falls to +3
Woods toiling early on as a par putt at the 3rd fails to drop. Went wildly wide left with the tee shot, but could not get up and down after leaving his approach shot short. A 6-4-5 start is not your friend. Woods tied for 117th at the moment.
15:45 – 150th Open latest leaderboard
- -8 Cameron Young (64)
- -6 Rory McIlroy (66)
- -5 Cameron Smith (67)
- -4 Barclay Brown (68)
- -4 Kurt Kitayama (68)
- -4 Lee Westwood (68)
- -4 Brad Kennedy (68)
- -4 Paul Casey (8)
15:43 – McIlroy moves into 2nd spot
Very, very nice from Rory as he sees through the 18th with a birdie to finish with a 66 courtesy of a two iron that fairly bounded towards the green. Two more putts for the birdie. Out in 32, back in 34. Classy start to lie two shots off the pace.
15:35 – 150th Open latest leaderboard
- -8 Cameron Young (64)
- -5 Cameron Smith (67)
- -5 Rory McIlroy (17)
- -4 Barclay Brown (68)
- -4 Kurt Kitayama (68)
- -4 Lee Westwood (68)
15:25 – Tiger steadies ship
Woods with a steady par at the 2nd hole. Long putt from the back of the green. Pace was majestic. Unfortunate not to see that effort drop for a birdie 3. He remains at +2, but that will make him feel better.
15:18 – SPIETH HAS TASTE FOR SUCCESS
15:10 – Tiger in the water at 1st
Think his tee shot was in a divot. Tried to thump it out, but just could not get the desired elevation on the second shot. Ball trundles into the Swilcan Burn. Looks like a dropped shot at the opening hole. Lovely chip shot, but he misses from two feet. Well, that is a shocker. +2 after 1st hole. Long way back.
15:04 – World No 1 on the move
Scheffler moves to -3. Three straight birdies between the 3rd and the 5th sees the world No. 1 on a roll. The Masters winner clearly in the mood with that golden putting touch.
14:58 – Els cards opening 70
Els can't dribble in birdie on 18th. Was on the green, but three putts from distance. Wasn't easy. Just the par to finish with. A round of 70 from the South African. Which will feel a bit deflating after he stood at -5 on the 16th tee.
14:48 – Els rescues double bogey on 17
Always looked like a six after driving out of bounds, but a fine two putts from the front of the green. Suddenly 3 shots disappear in two holes. Would dearly love a 3 on 18 to limit the damage.
14:45 – 150th Open latest leaderboard
- -8 Cameron Young (64)
- -5 Cameron Smith (67)
- -5 Rory McIlroy (14)
- -4 Barclay Brown (68)
- -4 Kurt Kitayama (68)
- -4 Lee Westwood (68)
- -4 Xander Schauffele (14)
14:41 – Almost ready for Tiger
Tiger Woods, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Max Homa begin their round at 14:59. Can Woods challenge for a 16th major title this week after Open wins in 2000, 2005 and 2006? Important to make a solid start to the week.
14:35 – Ernie drives out of bounds on 17th hole
Well, nearly home, but not quite. Els drops a shot at the 16th and he has emptied a drive into the hotel grounds on the penultimate hole. Staring a damaging double bogey in the face.
14:30 – Westwood in the mix
Talking about loving life at LIV, here is another one of the 'rebels' showing his class. A round of 68 from Westy is finished off with birdie 3 at the 18th hole. A remarkable round made even more impressive by running up a double bogey 6 on the 2nd.
14:20 – Mickelson 'happy' with life at LIV
A round of 72 from Lefty to open his Open Championship, but more interesting happenings off the course.
"I'm excited about, like I say, having the opportunity to play competitive golf," he said. "And have it in my life in a more moderate scale to where I can do some things outside of that too."
14:08 – Mickelson opens with 72
The 2013 Open champion makes 3 birdies and 3 bogeys in opening his bid at level par.
14:05 – McIlroy drops one
Second shot at the 13th bounced back out of a bunker, but left him with an impossible chip that flies miles beyond the flag. First putt from distance is lagged up stone dead. And that is a good bogey in the end. Rory at -4.
14:00 – Thorny times for Rose
Former US Open champion Justin Rose forced to withdraw from the 150th Open Championship due to a back injury.
Read more here: Rose withdraws from Open due to injury
13:56 – 150th Open latest leaderboard
- -8 Cameron Young (64)
- -5 Cameron Smith (67)
- -5 Ernie Els (14)
- -5 Rory McIlroy (13)
- -4 Barclay Brown (68)
- -4 Kurt Kitayama (68)
- -4 Lee Westwood (16)
13:48 – Els narrowly misses birdie putt on 14
About eight feet for the birdie, but just eludes him. That was for second place on his own. Els is swinging superbly well. Lee Westwood going along nicely at -4 after 16 holes of his 1st round. Ernie not the only figure finding some vintage form.
13:44 – 150th Open latest leaderboard
- -8 Cameron Young (64)
- -5 Cameron Smith (67)
- -5 Ernie Els (13)
- -5 Rory McIlroy (12)
13:42 – Birdie for Rory
McIlroy joins the chasing pack as he moves to -5, three strokes behind the leader Young. Birdie on 12 goes neatly with birdies on 1, 5, 6 and 7. No bogeys so far. How near can Rory get to that lead?
13:35 – Young cards blistering 64
Two putts from the back of the 18th green and that is a magical opening round of 64 from America's world No. 38 Cameron Young. He sets the pace on -8. Made that look very easy.
13:25 – Young drives the 18th hole
356 yards with a three wood. No problem as that drive from the tournament leader scampers up to the back of the green. Seems a long time ago that anybody thought about playing this hole conservatively. Well within range these days.
13:20 – Poulter 'booed' on 1st tee
Not really sure what this is all about in golf, but make of it what you will. Poulter carded a 69 to silence the boo boys. Or something like that.
13:12 – 150th Open latest leaderboard
- -7 Cameron Young (16)
- -5 Cameron Smith (67)
- -5 Ernie Els (12)
13:10 – Els moves to -5
The South African unearths another birdie on the 11th to join Players champion Cameron Smith in a share of second spot on -5. This is glorious stuff.
13:05 – Morikawa on the march
Well, the Open champion wasn't doing much, but birdies on 9 and 10 carry him to -1 for the day. Suddenly finding another gear, the form that dominated Sandwich a year ago. Rory with pars. He remains at -4.
13:00 – Els in contention
The man dubbed 'The Big Easy' is enjoying his day so far. Ernie finds himself at -4 at the 11th hole after a timely birdie. The winner in 2002 and 2012 is ranked 1,806 in the world, but is finding the form that made him world No. 1 in the 1990s.
12:50 – 150th Open latest leaderboard
- -7 Cameron Young (14)
- -4 Rory McIlroy (9)
- -4 Barclay Brown (68)
- -4 Cameron Smith (16)
- -4 Kurt Kitayama (68)
- -4 Ernie Els (11)
- -4 Brad Kennedy (11)
12:43 – McIlroy with par on 9
McIlroy opted to go for a putter with his second shot. Left his attempt from distance about 12 feet short and can't hole the birdie putt. Just a par as he goes out in 32. Well in this golf tournament as he leaves a drive just short of the 10th green.
12:33 – Poulter's putting perfection
If McIlroy wants to see how it is done on 9, here is a monster putt from his Ryder Cup team-mate Ian Poulter earlier today. 160 feet they reckon. After a few refreshments, it will grow to at least 250 feet. Poulter carded a fine 69 to lie at -3.
12:25 – McIlroy booms drive down 9
The par-4 9th hole is 342 yards in distance. Rory has the big club in hand because this is within range of birdie or better, but he has sprayed it right towards the 10th fairway. Needs a chip and putt for a birdie to move to -5 after his opening 9. Still every chance of nailing his birdie.
12:20 – All aboard the McIlroy express
Wonder who these diehards are lending their support to today? Difficult to work out..
12:15 – Rory makes roaring start
Long putt on the 8th hole from the Northern Irishman, the 2014 Open champion. Chance to get to -5 for the day, but just trickles past. Nice tap-in and on we go. Still, looks to be in the mood out there as he bids to emulate his 63 from the 1st round at St Andrews in 2010. Defending champion Collin Morikawa is +1 after eight holes of his 1st round. Work to be done, but early days yet.
12:10 – Young enjoys stunning start at Old Course
There are dream rounds and then there is the round of golf which Cameron Young is piecing together out there at the moment. The American is -7 after 13 holes of his opening round. Six more pars would see him sign for a 65, but he will hope for better than that. Three strokes clear of the field as we speak.
12pm – Welcome to the home of golf
The 150th Open Championship promises much at the home of golf in St Andrews. While London and the south of England endure sweltering temperatures, Scotland looks decidedly chillier.
Plenty of jumpers and jackets on the go for this opening round in overcast conditions, but we can expect the scoring to be scorching today as the best golfers in the world chase sporting immortality.
The 150th Open Championship is underway on the Old Course at St Andrews
A stellar field is bidding for the Claret Jug, with Tiger Woods a star attraction as he chases a fourth Open title.
The American will face fierce competition from the likes of Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Matthew Fitzpatrick and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.
Collin Morikawa is bidding to become the first player to successfully defend the title since Padraig Harrington in 2008.
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