FORMAT: 72-hole stroke play
Sam Bairstow was pleased with his first round efforts and especially the way he finished with three birdies in the last seven holes to get back to level par at the 150th Open today.
The 23-year-old Amateur Championship runner-up had to contain with the worst of the weather at St Andrews and a stiflingly slow pace of play in the middle of the round.
After double bogeying the par three 11th he was three over but he followed it up with back-to-back birdies before getting up and down superbly at the 18th for a closing three.
The Hallowes player, last year’s winner of the Brabazon Trophy, teed off at 11.57am and the windiest weather came between 2 and 4pm. Tomorrow he starts his second-round challenge at 6.45am.
See Barclay Brown’s reaction to making a dream debut at St Andrews
Bairstow fought valiantly to limit the mistakes but got a massive boost at the ninth, where he holed a monster putt across the green for an eagle. That got him back to level par but a disappointing approach shot into 10 led to a bogey and then he couldn’t hold his tee shot at the par three 11th, chipped back and then three putted.
However at par four 12th he drove through the back of the green and then got up and down to get it back to two over before getting one against the field at 13 – ranked the hardest hole of the day – where he again went long with his approach but knocked it in from close to 100 feet.
For all the latest from the 150th Open click here