United States In The Lead After Day 1 At Birkdale
Jordan Spieth from America is off to a dream start, having moved into a share of the lead with fellow American Brooks Koepka. Spieth shot a flawless five-under-65 during the opening round of the 146th Royal Open Birkdale. Spieth seemed particularly pleased with his drive and composure, saying that even when he had missed certain drives, it was mercifully done in positions from where it proved easy to get back onto the greens. He also said that it was really nice to round up Day 1 Bogey-free.
The World No. 3 seemed pleased with his putting speeds on the greens too – with Birkdale’s greens playing very differently from what he was used to when playing on the PGA Tour.
Koepka kept up with Spieth every step of the way, despite having taken a planned four week break leading up to Birkdale. He seemed to think that he could have done even better than his performance during the opening round, but was overall quite pleased with how it played out. He said that despite not having played links golf leading up to Birkdale, he enjoyed having to draw on his creativity and imagination in order to make the best of the more challenging shots.
Stenson Postive Despite The Hassle Of Breezy Conditions
Title defending Champion Henrik Stenson seemed not too perturbed by his opening result of 69 (one under par). The Swede ended up trailing the two Americans by four shots. Stenson said that he was happy with the opening day’s work, and that it certainly was no easy feat playing The Open. He also said that he was happy to try to retain hold on the Claret Jug, despite his long game needing a bit of styling – especially in Birkdale’s breezy conditions.
England’s Ian Poulter seemed to share Stenson’s sentiments about his own performance during Day 1 at Royal Birkdale. He put his stellar performance down to proper preparation on the evening prior to opening day – having plotted and planned with the yardage book and course layout in hand, avoiding imaginary bunkers and reviewing the weather for the following day.
Poulter especially enjoyed and appreciated the support received from the crowd, saying that it meant a great deal more to players than what the fans realised – providing that extra bit of buzz and energy out on the greens.
Poulter and fellow Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick – having not had a bad opening round himself – both verbalised that they were looking very much forward to Round 2.
| # | Site | Bonus | Bet | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Betway |  | 5/5 | Up to $60 NZD | Bet now Review |
| 2 |  | Picklebet | | 4.9/5 | Login to see promotions | Bet now |
| 3 |  | Palmerbet | | 4.8/5 | 100% Match | Bet now |
More About Trent Wilson
Trent Wilson is OnlineBetting.nz’s resident sports news expert. He draws on his extensive sporting knowledge, his qualification in sports management and his passion for betting to provide the latest, most up to date information on sporting events in New Zealand and across the globe. Trent is a veritable treasure trove of sports information and has been betting online for several years. He prides himself in keeping his readers informed, and in always offering an unbiased standpoint that reflects exactly what’s going on in the sports world.
View Posts - Visit WebsiteYou May Also Like:
Brooks Koepka An Unhappy Figure At Ryder Cup
Team USA Ryder Cup contender Brooks Koepka is everything but impressed with the media after a recent interview portrayed him as someone adverse to team sports and as such, not fully committed to his role as part of the team at Whistling Straights. Koepka spent the biggest part of Thursday’s ….
DeChambeau Says You Can’t Please Everyone
US golfer and Ryder Cup contender Bryson DeChambeau says even if he landed 18 holes-in-one, folks would still find something to criticize him about. DeChambeau has been avoiding the media since early August when he sparked a massive outcry over his refusal to be vaccinated. The controversy since then has ….
Daniel Hillier Ready For Second Open Championship
New Zealand golfer Daniel Hillier has been working on his game to take on his next major tournament. His last major, the US Open, saw the young golfer overwhelmed and let the competition get the better of him. He believes that he is better prepared for the upcoming Open Championship. ….
Mickelson Says Ko Inspired Him To PGA Win
Phil Mickelson has credited New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko as his inspiration for winning last weekend’s PGA Championship. The big win saw the 50-year-old interrupt a two-year drought on the PGA Tour. He’s also now the oldest player ever to have won a golf major. His stellar victory came off ….
Lydia Ko Falls Short At Women’s World Champs
Though eventually two shots off the lead with several starting birdies counting in her favour, Kiwi golfer Lydia Ko just could not manage to make a final push for the win in Singapore on Sunday. The pro-golfer finished tied on 11-under par in the latest leg of the LPGA Tour ….