On Thursday, the 2012 British Open got underway with the opening round at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. Northwestern alumnus Luke Donald teed off with Phil Mickelson and Geoff Ogilvy on Thursday morning, and through five holes he posted a 1-under thanks to a birdie on hole No. 3.
Meanwhile, Illinois Fighting Illini alumnus Steve Stricker opened his round paired with Toru Taniguchi and Anders Hansen, and he started with four straight par holes. Tiger Woods shot 3-under in the first round despite some excitement on No. 15, as described by Emily Kay of SB Nation golf:
As if to prove his pre-tourney complaint that England's record-breaking wet weather had made the dreaded rough "almost unplayable," Woods' errant tee shot found the deep, wispy fescue with the treacherous soggy grass underneath. Again, as if on cue, Woods stood in the knee-high fescue and took a mighty swipe at the ball, which, after the lush, sodden grasses and vines caught his iron's shaft and hossel and shut the club face, moved maybe 120 yards, but farther left into the same gunge.
Woods finished No. 15 with a bogey put, but he could be building some solid momentum going into rest of the tournament. See the up-to-date British Open Leaderboard here.
Keep it locked to SB Nation Chicago for 2012 British Open tee times, results and updates. Or for more, head over to SB Nation's golf news hub.
