So everyone got home safe and sound, just before the sun went down. Probably about two minutes to spare. Here’s how the top of the leader board looks after the first round, then. Thanks for reading. See you again tomorrow afternoon!
-5: Im
-4: Smith
-3: Willett, Niemann, Scheffler, D Johnson
-2: Kokrak, Conners, Cantlay
-1: Higgs, Na, Berger, Woods, Finau, Simpson, Varner III, Zalatoris, Fitzpatrick
Updated
Brooks Koepka’s third suffers exactly the same fate as Spieth’s did a few minutes before. He lands it by the cup, only for the spin to bring it miles back down the green. Two putts restricts the damage to bogey, but that’s a three-over 75. Rory McIlroy gets up and down from greenside sand for a par; a one-over 73 isn’t ideal, but at least he’s not played himself totally out of contention in round one, as he has so often in the majors of late. Not that his game looks totally up to it. Best of all, Matt Fitzpatrick rolls in his birdie putt from 20 feet behind the flag. A closing birdie and a one-under 71.
