Fitzpatrick shares clubhouse lead at rain-hit Open

A trio of Englishmen made superb starts to the 153rd Open Championship on a rain-lashed opening morning at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.

Former US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick slam-dunked a chip for birdie on the notoriously difficult par-three 16th to join unheralded Dane Jacob Skov Olesen and China's Li Haotong in the lead on four under par.

Matthew Jordan briefly reached that number but is one back after a 68, while Lee Westwood, who finished fourth when The Open last visited this course in 2019, is in a group at two under.

Phil Mickelson, the 2013 champion, opened with a 70 which included a magical par save from a bunker, and was then asked for some memorabilia by his playing partner Ryan Peake, the former gang member who served five years in prison for assault.

"He was a hero of mine growing up," beamed Peake, who hit a six-over 77. "My old boy is out here and he loves him as well.

"I grabbed his putter off him a few times and had a little feel of it. That's the OG - the one from the Masters.

"His caddie was giving out golf balls and I yelled, 'What about me?!' He had a laugh and thought I was being sarcastic but I said 'deadly serious' and could he sign a glove as well."

Home favourite Rory McIlroy, who famously hit his opening shot out of bounds six years ago, avoided the same fate this year but is among the later starters and teed off at 15:10 BST, alongside 2019 runner-up Tommy Fleetwood.

The weather was dry as they headed out but more rain is forecast to hit the Antrim coast.

Fitzpatrick, who played in the worst of the conditions, holed a 22-foot eagle putt on the second and added birdies on the short sixth and long 12th to be well in contention at three under.

But an errant tee shot into the ravine on the par-three 16th - called Calamity Corner because it has wrecked many a round - looked set to cost him.

His ball nestled in the rough, around eight feet below the green. He flicked it out with a wedge and could only laugh with his caddie after the ball disappeared straight into the hole.

The Yorkshireman's best finish at the Open is joint 20th at Portrush in 2019 and he arrived in Northern Ireland in good form after a joint fourth at last week's Scottish Open.

Jordan, who grew up at Royal Liverpool and finished joint 10th there after being given the honour of hitting the opening tee shot at the 2023 Open, briefly got to four under with a birdie on the 12th. Successive bogeys were followed by a birdie on the 15th in a fine opening round.

Westwood also got to four under, with a birdie on the 12th, but bogeys on the 14th and 16th holes dampened the end to his round of 69.

The former world number one, 52, only booked his place in the championship by coming through final qualifying at Dundonald earlier in July.

His wife Helen, who is also his caddie, had been planning a boat trip round the French Riviera, instead she has been lugging his bag round in the rain.

More to follow.