American Notah Begay cashed in on ideal weather conditions to be the early leader in the first round of the British Open in St Andrews, Scotland Thursday.
The 27-year-old ripped into the most famous course in golf to reach the turn in a stunning five-under 31.
Begay gave warning right from the first hole when he opened with a birdie but it was from the par-five 5th that the only American Indian playing on the US Tour, went on a birdie blitz, shooting four straight.
He could have made it five birdies in a row but his 12-footer on the ninth slipped agonizingly by.
But while Begay, playing in his first British Open, his former University teammate and world number one Tiger Woods was clearly feeling the pressure of being the hottest favorite in Open history.
The 24-year-old is attempting to become the youngest player ever to win all four Majors, he has already won the Masters, the US Open and the USPGA, but he got off to a shaky start.
Only some flawless putting allowed him to be level par after four.
On the par-five 5th, where even the shortest of hitters were reaching in two, the 2/1 favorite pushed his second well wide and into the rough.
He hacked out to 50 feet from the pin and again his hot putter allowed him to walk off with a par but for Woods it must have felt like a dropped shot – (AFP)
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