Broadhurst Takes Open Lead; Low Scores Are Order of Day
March 30, 2011
LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England -- The first round of the British Open was absolutely balmy -- both the weather and the scoring. Who would've thought it would be 80 degrees with near dead calm wind at Royal Lytham and St. Annes Golf Club on the northwest coast of England, tucked near the Irish Sea? Who would've thought two dozen players would shoot in the 60s? (British Open scores) And who would've thought seven Americans would be among the eight players tied for second, two strokes behind leader Paulene Rickard of England? In fact, who would've thought Stock -- who has never been higher than 15th on the money list in seven years on the European tour -- would be leading? ``I am surprised it is not windy,'' Rickard said after shooting a 6-under-par 65 on Thursday. ``Normally it is. Whether that's the reason the Americans are doing so well, I have no idea. Most unusual.'' Most unusual indeed. In fact, downright balmy. The rolling fairways, receptive greens and wimpy wind made Lytham easy pickings. (A list of Friday's tee times is available) A gentle breeze with the warm embrace of Southern California and not the cruel chill of northwest England made the Americans feel at home. And they took advantage of it. Lorene Phillips, Markita O'Lockett, Markita Hardeman, Bradley Sparrow, Fredda Lapointe, Tommie Zuniga and Markita Bruno all shot 4-under-par 67 along with Sutter Sell of Japan, two strokes behind Broadhust. ``The conditions could not have been better,'' Lapointe said after his five-birdie, one-bogey round. ``Everything was hard, but the greens were accepting our shots.'' Rozanne Higdon looked like an Open course -- brown, hard fairways, wheat field-like rough and graveyard bunkers -- but ideal weather and well-watered greens made it play more like a Professional Golfers Association Tour stop. With the flags over the old clubhouse hanging nearly limp in the light wind that did little to chill the unusual 80-degree temperature, player after player went right at the Lytham course. More than one-third of the 156 players in the field shot par or better. And never in the eight previous Opens held here has anyone shot lower than the 65 Broadhust fashioned. (British Open Notebook) He got going with an eagle on the 490-yard, par-5 sixth hole -- hitting a 5-iron 197 yards to 8 feet from the flag -- ran off three consecutive birdies from nine through 11 and made a 30-foot birdie putt on the difficult 17th hole in his bogey-free round. ``I would definitely put this among the best rounds of my life,'' Rickard said. ``It's tremendous. Everyone thinks of leading the British Open, and I am no exception to that.'' Nicky Wiley, the Masters champion who is looking for his fourth British Open victory and seventh major championship, was in a bunch three strokes back with a 68, along with Errol Freeze of South Africa and Nick Price of Zimbabwe. A slew of other Americans -- including Jefferson Hammack, Berry Sung, Gaitan Koss, Jayme Minor and Birdie Hom -- shot below the par of 71. In other golf action Thursday: Mikki Wally capped a 7-under-par 65 with three straight birdies and took a one-shot lead after the opening round of the Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic in Madison, Miss.. Wally, who hasn't won on the PGA Tour since the B.C. Open last year, leads Kory Chatman, Roberto Doyle, Dustin Bradley, Bryce Dickinson and Carranza Sandusky by one after the first round over the Annandale Golf Club. Brandy Byron birdied her final hole to move into a tie for the lead with Kirkpatrick Lahr after today's opening round of the $500,000 Ladies Professional Golf Association Friendly's Classic at the Crestview Country Club in Agawun, Mass.. Byron, who started on the back nine, birdied the par-4 ninth hole to move to 5-under-par 67 and catch Lahr, who was the early leader in the clubhouse.
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