The Old Course was never faster. The pace of play was never slower.

The celebrated start Thursday of the 150th British Open gave way to Cameron Young making his debut with an 8-under 64 for a two-shot lead over Rory McIlroy, and Tiger Woods making what could be his last competitive appearance at St. Andrews a short one.

His score would indicate as much. Woods began his round by hitting out of a divot into the Swilcan Burn for a double bogey. He ended it by taking three putts through the Valley of Sin for a par and a 78, his second-worst score in his Open career.

Woods will try to avoid leaving early from St. Andrews for the second straight time.

B次元官网网址淟ooks like IB次元官网网址檓 going to have to shoot 66 tomorrow to have a chance,B次元官网网址� Woods said. B次元官网网址淕uys did it today. And thatB次元官网网址檚 my responsibility tomorrow is to go ahead and do it B次元官网网址� need to do it.B次元官网网址�

Young and McIlroy didnB次元官网网址檛 have to contend with as much wind in the morning, though St. Andrews has seen far stronger gusts over its centuries of golf. Throw in the humps and mounds and difficult pin positions, and the Old Course held its own.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 the fiddliest Open that IB次元官网网址檝e played. ItB次元官网网址檚 the only way I can really describe it,B次元官网网址� McIlroy said. B次元官网网址淥K, the 18th at Carnoustie was like a runway, that fairway. But around the greens here and just all the slopes and undulations and everything, I think as the tournament progresses, youB次元官网网址檙e going to get some funny bounces and itB次元官网网址檚 going to test your patience at times.B次元官网网址�

Nothing tested the patience like the constant waiting. By late afternoon, the rounds were taking just over six hours. They waited on the tee and in the fairway, and it didnB次元官网网址檛 help with so many players looking for the best angles to tight pins and playing to the left into other fairways.

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B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 the way the golf course is set up. ItB次元官网网址檚 how firm it is,B次元官网网址� U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick said after his 72. B次元官网网址淭he way the golf course is designed B次元官网网址� to get better angles and better lines, youB次元官网网址檝e got to hit across all the fairways. ThereB次元官网网址檚 nothing you can do unfortunately about it. ItB次元官网网址檚 just sad more than anything. ItB次元官网网址檚 just ridiculous.B次元官网网址�

Good scores were available, and 54 players broke par, 26 of them with rounds in the 60s.

Young was a surprise leader only because itB次元官网网址檚 his first time competing on an Open links. He has had one of the better rookie seasons on the PGA Tour, and the 25-year-old New Yorker is not the least bit daunted by the stage. Just two months ago, he contended into the final hour of the PGA Championship until finishing one shot out of a playoff.

Young played smartly and took advantage of the birdie chances. He reached 7 under through 12 holes with the wind helping on the inward nine. He missed two good chances, finished with a birdie and most importantly kept bogeys off his card.

B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 think that I played a perfect round of golf,B次元官网网址� Young said. B次元官网网址淚 scored really well. And I think we thought our way around the way you have to out there.B次元官网网址�

Young figures he knows only a fraction of the secrets to Old Course B次元官网网址� no one ever really figures it all out with so many conditions on the ground and in the air B次元官网网址� and there was one occasion on the par-5 fifth when he looked at his note in the yardage book: B次元官网网址淗ard left is better than right.B次元官网网址� He went left and made birdie.

B次元官网网址淲e did stuff like that a few times today,B次元官网网址� Young said.

Players Championship winner Cameron Smith and English qualifier Robert Dinwiddie each had a 67. Dinwiddie had the best score of the afternoon, when the wind was at its strongest. The large group at 66 included Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, Dustin Johnson and even Barclay Brown, the English amateur who plays at Stanford.

Xander Schauffele, coming off his second straight win last week, was in the group a 69.

Scheffler tried to explain just how fast the links were playing by suggesting the ball was rolling faster on the fairways than on the greens. Than he realized that actually was the case. It gets that way at St. Andrews when the ground is crispy and the Open comes to the gray, old town.

B次元官网网址淭hey are? IB次元官网网址檓 glad IB次元官网网址檓 not losing my mind,B次元官网网址� Scheffler said.

McIlroy looked free as ever at St. Andrews, his first time back for the Open since 2010. His game is in good shape and he piled up five birdies through 12 holes, with only one careless play that led to his lone bogey on the 13th.

B次元官网网址淔antastic start. Just what you hope will happen when youB次元官网网址檙e starting off your week,B次元官网网址� McIlroy said. B次元官网网址淚 did everything that youB次元官网网址檙e supposed to do around St Andrews.B次元官网网址�

Then again, good starts are nothing new this year. He led the PGA Championship after 18 holes and was one shot behind after the first round of the U.S. Open. Both times, he couldnB次元官网网址檛 hold it together until he had fallen too far behind to catch up.

B次元官网网址淚 need to go out tomorrow and back up what I just did today,B次元官网网址� he said.

Defending champion Collin Morikawa struggled with his putting and had a 72. Morikawa knew how long of a day he was in for when there was a group on the fifth tee, and the group ahead was just starting to walk toward the fairway.

B次元官网网址淴ander and I talked about it. WeB次元官网网址檙e watching more golf than we ever have,B次元官网网址� said Morikawa, referring to how both rarely watch on TV. B次元官网网址淵ou stay in the fairway and youB次元官网网址檙e watching two other groups play golf.B次元官网网址�

It was hard to watch Woods at times. He was was 6 over through seven holes, missing more putts than usual and missing left off the tee. His tee shot on No. 7 was so far left that it wound up in a bunker in the 12th fairway, leading to another double bogey.

There were consecutive birdies around the turn, but little else to celebrate.

Woods had pointed to this week even as his shattered right leg from a February 2021 car crash kept him from playing. The Open probably wonB次元官网网址檛 return to St. Andrews for another five years, and the 46-year-old Woods canB次元官网网址檛 help but wonder if heB次元官网网址檒l be playing at a high level by then.

B次元官网网址淭his was always on the calendar to hopefully be well enough to play it. And I am,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淎nd just didnB次元官网网址檛 do a very good job of it.B次元官网网址�

Doug Ferguson, The Associated Press

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