on Thursday by claiming a shock share of the first-round lead with Danish veteran Thomas Bjorn.
Lewis, 20, making the most of benign conditions late in the day, celebrated his Open debut by shooting a five-under 65 that included a dazzling run of four straight birdies from the 14th.
Bjorn, 40, a late entry from the reserve list who started his round early and had to tussle with difficult 20-mph winds, helped banish the demons of his late collapse the last time the event was held at Royal St George’s eight years ago.
Lewis and Bjorn were one shot ahead of former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover and Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez.
“Today was a massive step in the right direction for me because mentally I was very strong,” said Bjorn, who struggled with his game this year following the death of his father.
“I stayed with it all the way round the course—sometimes that’s a problem for me.”
Lewis and Faldo learned the game at the same golf club in Welwyn Garden City and the blond, 5-foot-10 amateur says he wants to eclipse Faldo’s record of six major victories.
“I don’t really know Faldo, I think I met him when I played in his junior series,” the youngster told the Independent newspaper on Wednesday.
“At our club there is this big tribute to him and his six majors. It would be nice to get to seven.”
While Lewis and Bjorn were sharing the spotlight on the Kent coast, tournament favourite Rory McIlroy was brought back down to earth after his remarkable U.S. Open victory by an opening one-over 71.
RORY-MANIA
The 22-year-old Briton, the subject of ‘Rory-mania’ at Sandwich as a result of his commanding eight-shot win at Congressional last month, prompted groans from his army of fans when he three-putted the first hole.
McIlroy dropped another stroke when he failed to get up and down from off the green at the third but he hit a mid-range iron at the eighth, drilling his ball under the 20-mph breezes to within eight feet of the flag and sinking his birdie putt.
The Northern Irishman then carded his third bogey of the day at the par-four 13th before hitting back with a birdie three on the penultimate hole.
“I struggled a little bit with the speed of the greens,” said the world number four. “They can’t cut them too low because of the wind so they are pretty slow.
“It’s nice to get the first round out of the way. I’ll just rest now, save my energy and make sure I’m ready to go tomorrow.”
McIlroy’s 71 was matched by world number one Luke Donald and second-ranked Lee Westwood. But American Ben Curtis, the shock winner when the Open was last played at Sandwich, slumped to a 77.
Bjorn was three strokes ahead with four holes to play in the 2003 Open before a calamitous bogey-double bogey-bogey run effectively handed the Claret Jug trophy to Curtis.
The Dane’s chief blunder came at the 16th where he needed three attempts to get out of a greenside bunker.
It was a different story this time for the Qatar Masters champion as he peppered the flags on the inward half. He had a brief panic at his nemesis hole when his tee shot flirted with the bunker but this time it cleared it and he curled in the subsequent birdie putt.
Although a poor chip on the last led to his second bogey of the day, Bjorn, who was sixth reserve a week ago, was delighted with his day’s work.
Still searching for his first major victory, the Dane said: “A lot of people have asked me what I feel about 2003 (but) it’s in the past.
“I also got close by finishing tied second in the 2005 U.S. PGA Championship at Baltusrol. I’ve always promised myself I’ll keep going,” added Bjorn who was one of the triumphant European team’s vice-captains at last year’s Ryder Cup.
“People can do whatever they want, write you off even… but when you live in a career that’s there ahead of you, you try and make the best of every single day. I always look ahead—I’m 40 years old and there might just be a little bit more in me.”
The biggest roar of the day was reserved for American Dustin Johnson who aced the 16th during a purple patch that saw him go five-under in four holes on the inward nine in his 70.
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