On Thursday at Royal Liverpool, the action finally began, and all the hype — especially for tournament favorite Rory McIlroy, who has expectations soaring after a rousing victory at last week’s Scottish Open — could finally be put to the test.
As always, multiple storylines abound. GOLF staffer James Colgan shared that he was looking for something surprising. Could it be Liverpool local Matthew Jordan? The young amateur posted an impressive round of two under on Thursday, while another local hero, Tommy Fleetwood, launched himself to the first page of the leaderboard with an opening five-under 66.
Reigning Masters champ Jon Rahm is another favorite this week, grouped alongside McIlroy and Justin Rose. The star-studded trio was understandably in demand throughout their first round, followed by fans, cameras and mics aplenty. Rahm, who posted a first round of three-over 74, aired his frustration with the crowd during his post-round press conference.
“I’m trying to walk, and there’s way too many people on my way and I can’t go forward at my pace,” he said. “It’s just kind of a disregard that I existed.”
Proof that there’s a lot more that players must contend with at the Open than simply the course itself.
Check out the entire video above to catch up on the GOLF staff’s day at Royal Liverpool on Thursday, and follow along every day this week for more behind-the-scenes action from the 2023 Open Championship.
As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Issue, which debuted in February 2018. Her original interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.