SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — Matthew Baldwin teed off at Royal Birkdale, just as he has done countless times as a member of the century-old links who grew up a short walk away. What made Thursday different was having a full grandstand surrounding him and a shiny claret jug reminding him what’s at stake.Baldwin hit the opening tee shot at the 154th edition of the British Open, an iron that split the middle of the brown fairway and was approved by a cheering crowd.James Nicholas was in the first group for the second straight major. The New York native was first off at Shinnecock Hills last month in the U.S. Open, hitting his opening tee shot in fog so thick he couldn’t see it land in the fairway. This shot at Birkdale didn’t go so well, pulled into the thick grass and leading to an opening bogey.And with that began the longest day in golf, part of what makes this major stand out from the others — 15 hours of golf along the Irish sea, summer daylight seemingly endless.Defending champion Scottie Scheffler was among those playing early, along with Jordan Spieth, the last Open champion at Royal Birkdale in 2017.
But it’s different now. The course was green and the rough was lush when Spieth won. A heat wave across Europe, and a forecast of sunshine, has left the course brown and baked, conditions that make for the best brand of links golf because the ball rolls and tumbles and bounces.
