British Open's key hole from the opening round
Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy plays out of a bunker on the 18th green on the first day of the British Open Golf Championships at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England, Thursday, July 20, 2023. Credit: AP/Peter Morrison
HOYLAKE, England — A look at the key hole Thursday in the first round of the British Open:
HOLE: 18.
YARDAGE: 599.
PAR: 5.
STROKE AVERAGE: 5.12.
RANK: 9th.
KEY FACT: Justin Thomas went out-of-bounds on the right, hit from one greenside bunker to another, and wound up making 9 for an 11-over 82, his highest round in a major. Taichi Kho of Hong Kong fared even worse, taking four shots in one of the two bunkers to the left of the green and making 10. Rickie Fowler twice went out-of-bounds in making 8. Rory McIlroy, who failed to get out sideways from one of the bunkers to the left of the green with his third shot, splashed his fourth shot with his left leg dangling outside the bunker.
United States' Justin Thomas hits out of a bunker on the 18th green on the first day of the British Open Golf Championships at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England, Thursday, July 20, 2023. Credit: AP/Kin Cheung
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