Bjorn roars in return to site of 2003 meltdown

SANDWICH, England (AP)—Casting aside memories of his 2003 meltdown, Thomas Bjorn returned to Royal St. George’s with a flourish Thursday.

Bjorn opened with a 5-under 65 to claim the lead in the British Open, the major title he was denied the last time it came to this course on the English seaside.
The 40-year-old Dane ripped off three straight birdies coming down the stretch. Even with a stumble at the final hole, he was in the clubhouse with a one-stroke lead over Miguel Angel Jimenez and far ahead of U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy, who got off to a sluggish start.
Not bad, considering Bjorn only got into the tournament Monday as an alternate, giving him a chance to make up for his collapse eight years ago. He threw away a two-stroke lead in the final three holes, best remembered for needing three swings to escape a bunker on the par-3 16th.
Ben Curtis went on to claim the claret jug in one of golf’s greatest shockers.
This time, Bjorn made a 2 at No. 16, the capper to his streak of birdies. As for Curtis, he’ll have trouble just making the cut after playing the first 14 holes at 6 over.
Bjorn insisted that he wasn’t trying to make up for ’03.
“A lot of people make a lot of things about that, but the only way a can play golf is to concentrate on the shot in front of me,” he said. “It never entered my mind.”
The clear favorite was McIlroy, coming off his dominating win at Congressional. But the 22-year-old from Northern Ireland struggled right from the first tee, making bogeys on two of his first three holes. He was still at 2 over after the 13th.
Bjorn played well early in the year, winning the Qatar Masters against a strong field and beating Tiger Woods in the World Match Play Championship. But the Dane missed the cuts in four of five events before the Open, needing help just to make it to the first tee.
He was the last player into the field, getting his spot when Vijay Singh withdrew.
“I got in Monday night, so that gave me a couple of days to prepare,” said Bjorn, who would’ve tied the Round 1 scoring record at Royal St. George’s if not for a 2-foot miss at the ninth.
The 47-year-old Jimenez was right in the mix as well. The Spaniard capped off a bogey-free round with a brilliant chip at the 18th, saving par with a short putt after he drove into the tall grass.
McIlroy was having trouble keeping it straight off the tee and looked shaky with the putter, hardly resembling the player who blew away the field last month.
Teeing off at midmorning as the breeze strengthened off the Strait of Dover, McIlroy drove his opening shot into the first cut of rough right of the fairway, and his approach skidded through the green. He putted about 6 feet past the cup, then missed the return putt for a bogey.
McIlroy dropped another strike with a bogey at the third, and he missed a good birdie chance at the par-5 seventh.
Dustin Johnson, one of the top American hopes, got off to a dismal start but turned things around with two straight birdies—then a hole-in-one at the 16th. He was back to even with two holes left.
The U.S. has gone five straight majors without a title, its longest drought in the modern Grand Slam era.
The weather is always the biggest unknown at the British Open. Punishing gusts whipped across Royal St. George’s during the practice rounds, and the forecast called for McIlroy to be playing in the worst of the wind over the first two days, mixed in with occasional rain.
Jerry Kelly got the tournament started with a drive right down the middle of the fairway shortly after daybreak, playing in a light breeze with sprinkles. He wound up making bogey, but at least that was better than his start at this same course eight years ago.
The American began the ’03 Open with an 11 on his way to an 86.
McIlroy romped to an eight-stroke win for his first major title, setting a U.S. Open scoring record at 16 under. With Tiger Woods missing his second straight major because of an ailing leg, McIlroy has emerged as the new face of the game.
He’s certainly won over the crowds with his joyful style, punctuated by plenty of smiles and eye contact.
“He plays golf with a real flair and a real charisma, and I think fans are drawn to that,” Phil Mickelson said. “He plays with this youthful exuberance, and it’s fun to watch and see somebody play golf like that and really enjoy it.”
Top-ranked Luke Donald, coming off a four-stroke win in Scottish Open, was in the group right behind McIlroy. The Englishman also was having his problems, scuffling along at 1 over.
Simon Dyson of England, another alternate, shot a 68. Fifty-one-year-old Mark Calcavacchia got off to a strong start, part of a group at 69 that also included England’s Danny Willett and Ryan Moore of the U.S.
Defending champion Louis Oosthuizen had an afternoon start time.
National Writer Paul Newberry can be reached at http://twitter.com/pnewberry1963