Oosthuizen leads in Mexico as pair of newcomers shine

Jack Nicklaus the third American to become an honorary citizen of St. Andrews, joining Bobby Jones in 1958 and Benjamin Franklin in 1759.

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SANDWICH, England – While red numbers weren’t rare during the opening to The 149th Open, Royal St. George’s still claimed some big names with U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm and big-hitting Bryson DeChambeau among those to struggle. RELATED: Leaderboard | Jon Rahm leads the list of links specialists | Club foot reason for Jon Rahm’s TOUR-winning short swing Rahm and DeChambeau battled away to 1-over 71s on Thursday morning, a distant seven shots adrift of early pace-setter Louis Oosthuizen. Spaniard Rahm was the pre-tournament favorite after his impressive victory at Torrey Pines last month, but he lost his way on the ninth hole when he failed to escape from a fairway bunker on the first attempt and made a double bogey. Playing with Oosthuizen, Rahm felt like his wheels were spinning despite making plenty of grinding pars, until a final hole birdie gave him something to smile about. DeChambeau couldn’t get his radar adjusted off the tee. He managed four birdies on the round but hit the same number of fairways in regulation meaning he was hamstrung by five bogeys. “The driver sucks. It’s not a good face for me and we’re still trying to figure out how to make it good on the miss-hits. I’m living on the razor’s edge,” DeChambeau bemoaned post round. “It’s quite finicky for me because it’s a golf course that’s pretty short, and so when I hit driver and it doesn’t go in the fairway, it’s first cut or it’s in the hay, it’s tough for me to get it out on to the green and control that… I couldn’t control my wedges.” They weren’t alone when it came to tough starts. PGA Championship winner Phil Mickelson found himself quickly behind the eight-ball at three-over through six holes while Jason Day shot a 5-over 40 on the front nine. Lee Westwood, a sentimental favorite for many in his home country, also shot 71 as did defending Open champion Shane Lowry.

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Hunter Mahan was scheduled to play this week’s Quicken Loans National. He returned home, instead, to be with his family during a difficult time. His sister-in-law, Katie Enloe, was recently sent home from the hospital to spend her final days alongside friends and family. She has been fighting acute myeloid leukemia since January. PGA TOUR players are showing their support by donning orange ribbons at the Quicken Loans National. The Instagram feed @katiestrongtx has provided updates on Katie since her diagnosis. A post from earlier this week reads: “It is time for our warrior Katie to rest easy and spend time with family. On Friday, her 3 beloved doctors that have cared for her throughout this process, all together recommended that Katie return home to Dallas. Her mind, body, & spirit have fought long & hard, & these doctors have provided their best possible treatment plans…. but this leukemia continues to come back bigger & stronger. Katie will now spend her last days at home, with her girls, her husband, & her family by her side.â€� Katie Enloe is married to two-time Web.com Tour winner Jason Enloe, who now serves as the head men’s golf coach at SMU. The couple has two young daughters. Katie is the sister of Mahan’s wife, Kandi. Katie Enloe’s YouCaring page can be viewed here. “We’re a tight family,â€� Mahan said in a GolfChannel.com article from February, “and you just never know in life. This is what family is for, to support each other.â€� Acute myeloid leukemia is the same cancer that TOUR player Jarrod Lyle is fighting for the third time. Click here to read a recent update on Lyle’s status.

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