How the Brits fared on Day 1 at The Open

It’s been a ‘strange’ 25 years in Open history, Tommy Fleetwood said on Wednesday.

That period has yielded zero British winners of its prized golf possession, stretching back to Paul Lawrie’s victory at Carnoustie in 1999.

A handful of players – Fleetwood included – have come agonisingly close to lifting the Claret Jug, so are we any nearer at Royal Troon?

Perhaps. An Englishman sits atop the ‘board and, in total, five Brits are under par.

That doesn’t paint the full picture of a brutally tough opener on the west coast, though, as there are a handful of hopefuls within reach.

Let’s take a closer look…

• The Open: Claret Jug hopeful withdraws mid-round

• The Postage Stamp: A morning Royal Troon’s iconic par-3

How the Brits fared on Day 1 at The Open

Daniel Brown: -5

Only 2 sleeps til i go to the open, feel like a little kid! #weeing

— Dan Brown (@danbrown212) July 18, 2012

What a difference 12 years makes. In 2012, Brown felt like “a little kid” on the eve of The Open. Now, he takes a solo lead into day two of his debut. A flawless, bogey-free 65 bettered Shane Lowry’s effort by one.

Justin Rose: -2

The Englishman turns 44 in two weeks but rolled back the years on Thursday. A bogey-free 69 helped Rose set the early pace at Royal Troon before admitting the “clock is ticking” on his Open dream.

Joe Dean: -2

Matt Wallace: -1

A triple bogey seven on the ninth derailed Wallace’s charge out of the gates. He was four-under before becoming unstuck but a steady back nine leaves the Englishman primed for a solid week.

Matt Fitzpatrick: -1

A missed birdie putt on 17 will no doubt rest on Fitzpatrick’s mind, but that would have only capped an already strong performance. Only one blemish on the card and his consistency could be crucial come Sunday.

Calum Scott (a): E

The 20-year-old amateur could barely have dreamed of a better start to his Open Championship debut. A rising senior at Texas Tech, Scott flies the saltire after day one – buoyed by a birdie at the Postage Stamp.

Laurie Canter: E

Matthew Jordan: E

Robert MacIntyre: +1

“I thought it was almost perfect,” MacIntyre said of his opening round in south Ayrshire. There was no hangover from the Oban hero’s win last week, as Bob carded a one-over 72 to sneak inside the top 20.

Matthew Dodd-Berry (a): +1

Matthew Southgate: +2

Aaron Rai: +2

• Rory McIlroy reacts to Open horror show at Royal Troon

• TV pundit blasted for controversial Tiger Woods take at The Open

Tyrrell Hatton: +2

Hatton – rated one of the leading British hopes – took aim at the length of the challenge that faced players after his first round. There wasn’t much bad, but there wasn’t too much good – he went without a birdie all day.

Sam Hutsby: +3

Ewen Ferguson: +3

Richard Mansell: +4

Sam Horsfield: +4

Jack McDonald: +5

McDonald had heaps of support on the links as the only Ayrshire native in the lineup. He was happy with about five hours of sleep last night and after posting a five-over 76, said his day was ‘amazing, ‘brilliant’ and ‘good fun’.

Tommy Fleetwood: +5

With Fino back on the bag, Fleetwood hoped he could be the man to end Britain’s dire run at re-claiming the Claret Jug. Sadly, six bogeys left the Englishman with a mountain to climb.

Jordan Smith: +5

Dominic Clemons (a): +6

Dan Bradbury: +12

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Tryst Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.