HOYLAKE, LIVERPOOL: A South African amateur and an experienced Englishman searching for his maiden Major, were in shared lead with half the field yet to finish the first day of the 151st Open Championship. The co-leaders, 22-year-old six-foot-eight debutant at the Open Christo Lamprecht and the unruly, long-haired Tommy Fleetwood, 32, a former European Tour player of the Year in 2017, have a Southport connection, at least this week.
Fleetwood was born in Southport and five weeks ago, Lamprecht was the last man standing at Hillside Golf Club at Southport, where he won The Amateur Championships, which earned him spots into the 2023 Open, the 2024 Masters and the 2024 US Open. The Amateur Championship, sometimes called the British Amateurs, was counted as one of the Majors before the World War II.
