Both golfers started playing at the Old Course before 10:00 am local time, and the pair took full advantage of the light morning wind to race ahead of the 156-player course.
A two-time winner of the Korn Ferry Tour, the developmental series of the PGA Tour, Young will make his third debut this year after first appearances at the Masters and the PGA Championship. Although the 25-year-old didn’t make it to the winners on the first occasion, he starred in Tulsa in May, finishing one shot short of winner and compatriot Justin Thomas.
Having played at the Old Course away with his family at the age of 13, St. Andrews holds a “special” place in Young’s heart.
It’s just impossible to hide how special this place is,” he told reporters.
“Of course, I had a goal to get to the open championship. And the fact that I was here for the first time was something special for me.”
However, after Young faced tougher conditions on Friday afternoon, the American quickly moved from being sentimental to being focused ahead of the second round.
“Things can change in an instant, especially here, given how important rebounds and your attitude are,” he added.
“Tomorrow I may have problems. Who knows? I can shoot 64 again. But I think it’s just important for me to accept tomorrow as it is and do my best.”
“Set” McIlroy in hot pursuit
McIlroy’s action-packed round went beyond his impressive score, with the Northern Irishman hitting both ancient stone and spectator en route to a six-to-66 card.
A bizarre start to the fifth hole caused the Northern Irishman’s tee shot to bounce off the March Stone – one of several ancient stones around the fairways that mark the boundaries of the original course – before bouncing back with a birdie. Later, one of his drifters broke the arm of a PGA Tour employee who returned to the track in a sling.
With the exception of a “too sweet” second roll that resulted in his only bogey of the round in 13th place, the four-time winner was pleased with a good day’s work.
“Everything seems very stable,” McIlroy told reporters. “No major problems with my game. Everything looks like everyone is in good shape … nice and quiet, which is a good way of life.”
“I’m pretty good at this game, I think I know what I’m doing. I just needed to get my hands on her again,” he added.
amateur ambition
Cameron Smith trails the Northern Irishman on a shot, while English amateur Barclay Brown secures a name pick among golfers tied for fourth place with four fewer.
Making it to St. Andrews via the final qualifier in June, the 21-year-old quickly became a crowd favorite in the stands as three birdies through the last seven holes completed an extremely impressive first round.
“In the beginning, I was incredibly nervous,” he admitted to reporters.
“Then, once I got through the first couple of holes, it was nice to calm down a bit, put in some good shots and get into the game.”
Woods fights
Brown wasn’t even born yet when Tiger Woods won the first of his three Open Championships at St. Andrews in 2000, and it’s unlikely the youngster will see the American add a fourth in person after Woods endured a tough first round.
With a 6-for-78 card that stood at 146 on his return to the club, the 15-time major tournament winner drew relentless roars from fans at St Andrews and received a rapturous reception in the final match.
Crowds flocked to watch his round and each of his three birds roared as if he was vying for top spot on the leaderboard again, but as Woods acknowledged on Wednesday, this is his new “tough” reality.
After the opening match at 2:59 pm local time, Woods and his two playing partners—compatriot Max Homa and newly crowned US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick—finished their round just over six hours later. However, Woods told reporters after his round that his day was “much easier” on his body than his previous two majors, including withdrawing from the PGA Championship.
“I didn’t really feel like I hit that bad, but I ended up in bad places or some weird stuff just happened,” he said.
“Lynx is like that, and this golf course is like that. I had chances to change the situation and make it move in the right direction, but I didn’t.”
On the street of St. Supporting Andrews, Woods added: “They were fantastic, absolutely fantastic. Such support.”
By his own recent lofty standards, Fitzpatrick also endured a tough evening, thrice scared to finish even on Opening Day. However, like Woods, the Briton was enthusiastically supported throughout the match and the par-72 bird in 18th secured a finish that the crowd loved.
The first group of Friday’s second round is scheduled to start at 6:35 AM BST (1:00 AM ET) and leader Young is scheduled to start at 1:26 PM BST (8:26 ET).
