Brandel Chamblee ran into trouble while trying to close his Champions Tour debut, signing for a five-over 77 in the opening round of the Senior British Open on Thursday at St. Andrews’ Old Course.
Chamblee opened with pars until he bogeyed the 4th. A birdie 3 on the par-4 7th brought him back to even, but he bogeyed the 9th to make the turn in one-over 37.
Chamblee bogeyed 12 and then made four straight bogeys from 14 to 17 before closing with a birdie on the short par-4 18th. At the time he finished, he was tied for 127th.
The 56-year-old Golf Channel analyst qualified for the Senior Open on Monday at Scotscraig Golf Club, grabbing co-medalist honors with a 69. He spent much of his week covering the British Open at Carnoustie while at the same time practicing his game in preparation for the qualifier.
“I can still hit it,” he told GOLF.com prior to the qualifier. “In one way, yeah, I have the disadvantage of having not played [competitive] golf in 15 years. But I also have the advantage of having not beat up my body for 15 years hitting golf balls. I still can get it out there.”
Chamblee’s second round tee time is 2:30 a.m. ET.
Kirk Triplett is the clubhouse leader after opening with a seven-under 65. Bernhard Langer is two back at five under. John Daly and Tom Watson both shot three under.
You can view all the scores here.
