The Virtual British Open: Round One
By Bill Felber
Nearly two dozen champions are within five strokes of the lead at the virtual British Open after the opening 18 holes.
If anything became clear during the opening round of the 2020 Virtual British Open championship, it is that this competition is wide open.
A total of 39 players – more than half the 76-player field – toured Royal St. George’s under par, 23 of whom were within five strokes of the lead.
That leading pace was set by Jamie Anderson, a three-time British Open champion from the game’s formative years. Anderson, who won the Open title in 1877, 1878 and 1879, toured the storied course at Sandwich in England in 62 strokes, eight under the par of 70.
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Anderson’s round featured seven birdies, an eagle, and only one bogey. He holed out from the fairway at the 409-yard ninth for a two that gave him a front nine of 30 and birdied the final two holes to take the lead.
But on a day when bright sun and light breezes made for unusually perfect golfing weather, even that good a score provided little breathing room. Three-time British Open champion Seve Ballesteros and Jack Simpson, a lightly regarded player who won in 1884, shot seven-under 63s to finish just one stroke behind Anderson.
Two Hall of Famers, Walter Hagen, and Ted Ray were one stroke further back at six-under, while 19th Century amateur Harold Hilton closed at 5-under. The pack at four-under 66 included many familiar names: Jack Nicklaus, Henrik Stenson, Nick Faldo, Zach Johnson, Ernie Els, Tom Weiskopf, and current Open champion Shane Lowry.
Nicklaus, a three-time Open champion, was only even par through 14 holes but birdied the final four to work his way up the leader board at the virtual British Open.
The famed British golf Triumverate that combined to win 16 championships in the pre-World War I era all finished on the fringes of contention. Five-time champions James Braid and John H. Taylor both turned in cards of three-under 67 to put them five strokes behind Anderson. Six-time champion Harry Vardon shot two-under 68.
Tiger Woods had an inauspicious start to his round, sitting five over through seven holes. Woods recovered with a back nine 30 to pull himself to even par the end conclusion of the first day of play. That left him tied with, among others, Jordan Spieth, Gary Player, and Old Tom Morris.
The more famous Morris, Young Tom, was part of a group at minus two that also included Tom Watson, Gene Sarazen, Greg Norman, and Francesco Molinari.
The first round was not without its disappointments. Popular two-time champion Arnold Palmer bogeyed the first hole, turned in three-over 38, and shot 71 for the round, putting him back in a tie for 50th place. Rory McIlroy managed only a 72, and four-time South African champion Bobby Locke, one of the pre-tournament favorites, produced a 75. Locke was just one-over at the turn but went birdie-less after the third hole and bogeyed two of the final three.
The field took advantage of the benign conditions, averaging a half stroke below the par of 70. Forecasts saw a change brewing, with storm squalls and heavier winds blowing in for Friday’s second round.
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Here are the full first-round scores.
Player Frt.-Bck-Tot.
Jamie Anderson 30-32-62
Jack Simpson 32-31-63
Seve Ballesteros 33-30-63
Ted Ray 31-33-64
Walter Hagen 33-31-64
Harold Hilton* 34-31-65
Ernie Els 32-34-66
George Duncan 35-31-66
Henrik Stenson 33-33-66
Jack Nicklaus 34-32-66
Nick Faldo 33-33-66
Shane Lowry 32-34-66
Tom Weiskopf 32-34-66
Zach Johnson 36-30-66
Bob Ferguson 35-32-67
Henry Cotton 31-36-67
Jack White 34-33-67
James Braid 33-34-67
John H. Taylor 34-33-67
Peter Thomson 31-36-67
Reg Whitcombe 35-32-67
Roberto deVicenzo 32-35-67
Sandy Herd 33-34-67
Arnaud Massy 33-35-68
David Brown 36-32-68
Francesco Molinari 34-34-68
Greg Norman 34-34-68
Harry Vardon 32-36-68
Hugh Kirkaldy 37-31-68
Louis Oosthuizen 34-34-68
Young Tom Morris 34-34-68
Tom Watson 36-32-68
Willie Park Jr. 34-34-68
Darren Clarke 35-34-69
Gene Sarazen 34-35-69
Mark O’Meara 33-36-69
Mungo Park 37-32-69
Phil Mickelson 33-36-69
Willie Fernie 34-35-69
Alf Padgham 33-37-70
Alf Perry 34-36-70
Gary Player 34-36-70
Ian Baker-Finch 35-35-70
Johnny Miller 34-36-70
Jordan Spieth 37-33-70
Lee Trevino 34-36-70
Padraig Harrington 34-36-70
Tiger Woods 40-30-70
Old Tom Morris 35-35-70
Arnold Palmer 38-33-71
Arthur Havers 34-37-71
Bob Martin 36-35-71
David Duval 33-38-71
Jim Barnes 35-36-71
John Daly 36-35-71
Justin Leonard 34-37-71
Kel Nagle 36-35-71
Max Faulkner 37-34-71
Paul Lawrie 34-37-71
Willie Park Sr. 33-38-71
John Ball* 35-37-72
Rory McIlroy 37-35-72
Sandy Lyle 37-35-72
Willie Auchterlonie 36-36-72
Bill Rogers 38-35-73
Dick Burton 35-38-73
Ben Curtis 37-37-74
Bob Charles 39-35-74
Mark Calcavecchia 38-36-74
Tom Lehman 40-34-74
Tony Jacklin 36-38-74
Bobby Locke 36-39-75
Nick Price 36-39-75
Stewart Cink 42-35-77
Fred Daly 37-40-77
Todd Hamilton 38-45-83
*denotes amateur