Tommy Fleetwood has lived up to his billing as the home favourite by shooting an opening-round 66 at the Open Championship at Hoylake.
The Englishman, born close by to the Royal Liverpool course, hit four birdies on his back nine to share the lead with amateur Christo Lamprecht and Emiliano Grillo.
Lamprecht, a 6ft 8in South African, looked majestic during his opening 18 holes on Thursday morning, with his score of 66 being posted despite two bogeys.
Meanwhile, Grillo shook off bogeys on hole one and three to star during the latter part of the day, and he will have the chance to build a lead when he starts earlier than his fellow frontrunners on Friday.
Antoine Rozner, Adrian Otaegui and Brian Harman are all a shot further adrift, while US Open champion Wyndham Clark finds himself in the group at three-under-par.
Momentum-changing birdie.
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 20, 2023
Rory holes a 41-foot putt on the 14th hole. pic.twitter.com/TiBKMgfpfb
Former winner Jordan Spieth is in contention three shots off the pace, as are world number one Scottie Scheffler and US PGA Championship victor Brooks Koepka at one under.
However, Rory McIlroy had to settle for a level-par round on his return to the venue where he won his Open title in 2014, with the Northern Irishman battling back well in the final five holes with two birdies and a 10-foot par save on the last.
Playing partner Jon Rahm could only shoot three-over-par, with the Masters champion making just one birdie and a sloppy bogey on the par-five 18th after finding the greenside bunker with his second shot.
