46:I[29208,["/_next/static/chunks/0tuv9_t4tcmpd.js","/_next/static/chunks/1yt446igj3lq7.js","/_next/static/chunks/356hjhwwhmsuf.js","/_next/static/chunks/2r-_tyrcnf7v8.js","/_next/static/chunks/0lpwqoi233qvk.js","/_next/static/chunks/3poyse7roc0fs.js","/_next/static/chunks/1-khaq6h6j2wy.js","/_next/static/chunks/2sfb3o3xvfqdd.js","/_next/static/chunks/3h-vnkfj9r7jx.js","/_next/static/chunks/15xqj1mmjxy46.js","/_next/static/chunks/41u_8ogfbuc3t.js","/_next/static/chunks/0x_ky3o94upvj.js"],"default"] 3c:T12b5,

NORTH BERWICK, Scotland (AP) — Jake Knapp is loving links golf so much he'd like to extend his stay another week, and he took a step toward that Thursday with a 6-under 64 that put him in a four-way share of the lead after the opening round of the Scottish Open.

The blustery conditions at The Renaissance Club were not enough to keep more than half of the 156-man field at par or better, although Rory McIlroy had to birdie his last three holes — and make a 25-foot bogey putt on the 15th hole — for a 68.

Sepp Straka had eight birdies in his round of 64, also joined by Nico Echavarria and Victor Perez atop the leaderboard alongside Knapp. Four other players were one shot behind, while Scottie Scheffler had to settle for a 67 and was three back.

Knapp is among those who have not qualified for the British Open next week at Royal Portrush. The Open is offering spots to the leading three players at The Renaissance Club who are not already in the field.

His current itinerary is to leave Monday for Boston and then to home in California.

“As of right now,” he said. “Hopefully, I can change that.”

Perez isn't set for Portrush, either. He birdied three of his last four holes, finishing with a birdie putt from 25 feet on the 18th hole that played into the wind.

Scheffler, who missed the Scottish Open last year to spend more time at home with his newborn son, played in the morning and started with a 30-foot eagle putt. He gave himself plenty of chances the rest of the way, but failed to hole enough birdie putts inside 10 feet.

There were a few mistakes, but otherwise very little stress.

“I feel like I could have gotten a little bit more out of my round,” Scheffler said. “I felt like I did some good things that I didn't quite get rewarded for after my start. But 3 under, I wish I could have had a couple of bogeys back, but overall not too bad.”

McIlroy figured he was about 80% of where he wanted to be ahead of his return home to Northern Ireland next week. He struggled with the wind, particularly off the tee, hitting only four of 13 fairways.

One tee shot landed just short of a wall on No. 5, forcing him to play out sideways to the fairway. Another found a bunker on the 15th. McIlroy tried 9-iron to clear a steep lip and failed, the ball roll back into a depression caused by the swing. He got the next one out, hit wedge that rolled over the back of the green and holed a 25-foot bogey putt to limit the damage.

He birdied the last three holes — a two-putt on the par-5 16th, a 25-footer on the 17th and a final birdie from 20 feet — to salvage a reasonable score. Also at 68 was Xander Schauffele, the defending British Open champion, who played alongside him.

“It was a great finish,” McIlroy said. "Felt like the rough was a bit stop-start, a little bit of rust in there taking a couple of weeks off. But I found my rhythm and started hitting better shots on the way in. It's the sort of golf course and the sort of conditions where I feel like the field is going to be pretty bunched.

“So to only be four behind after the first day, feeling like I’ve still got my best stuff ahead of me, that feels good.”

Knapp skipped the Scottish Open last year as a rookie. He won the Mexico Open in February and played more golf than usual, leading to fatigue and a body that needed a rest. So this is his first trip to Scotland, and he began having a blast from the time he arrived.

“I haven’t played a ton of links golf but I feel like it fits my game pretty well,” Knapp said. “I like to be creative and hit different shots and it just fits my eye.”

On the advice of Rickie Fowler, he landed Monday and headed to North Berwick, a course just down the Firth of Fourth that has been around nearly two centuries. He played with his father and his caddie, with his mother and girlfriend walking along.

“It was awesome,” he said.

Scheffler had a large gallery, not all for him. He played alongside Robert MacIntyre, who last year became the first Scot in 25 years to win his national open. He had quite the opposite start to Scheffler, failing to birdie the par-5 10th at the start and then hitting a shot on the 12th that he feared was out-of-bounds.

“Thankfully, I didn't listen to the marshals,” he said. “Managed to find it a yard-and-a-half inbounds, got the drop and made bogey. From there on, it was back to the basics.”

He wound up with a 68, right in the thick of it along with most everyone else.

___

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

3d:T12b5,

His current itinerary is to leave Monday for Boston and then to home in California.

“As of right now,” he said. “Hopefully, I can change that.”

Perez isn't set for Portrush, either. He birdied three of his last four holes, finishing with a birdie putt from 25 feet on the 18th hole that played into the wind.

There were a few mistakes, but otherwise very little stress.

“So to only be four behind after the first day, feeling like I’ve still got my best stuff ahead of me, that feels good.”

“I haven’t played a ton of links golf but I feel like it fits my game pretty well,” Knapp said. “I like to be creative and hit different shots and it just fits my eye.”

“It was awesome,” he said.

“Thankfully, I didn't listen to the marshals,” he said. “Managed to find it a yard-and-a-half inbounds, got the drop and made bogey. From there on, it was back to the basics.”

He wound up with a 68, right in the thick of it along with most everyone else.

___

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

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SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France (AP) — Rory McIlroy is playing in the Olympics for the second time. Thursday at Le Golf National felt like his first real Olympic experience.

Thousands of fans crammed behind the first tee began chanting his name when they saw him headed their way. He walked by Olympic swimming great Michael Phelps, then turned and saw the fairway lined with spectators, wrapping around toward the second hole.

“Unbelievable. It was surprising,” McIlroy said after opening with a 3-under 68. “With so many events going on spread all across the city, for people to venture out here and to watch us play, it was a really cool atmosphere to play in.

“I thought the weekend it might get a few more people. I thought the first couple days might be a little bit quieter. But it was awesome.”

And it was a far cry from his Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games, where no spectators were allowed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Tokyo was a ghost town,” he said. “The atmosphere was certainly a little more energetic than I was expecting, which is cool.”

Le Golf National is about 45 minutes outside Paris. International Golf Federation officials have said the allotment of 30,000 tickets has been sold for the week. They predicted 20,000 fans, met with some skepticism because golf only returned to the Olympics in 2016 and its place on the program is still debated with four major championship a year considered more important.

The crowd was approaching 20,000 fans by noon, typical of some of the marquee tournaments on the PGA Tour. Flags were waving, cheers were shouted in a dozen languages. Players wore team uniforms, even though this is an individual event.

“The first couple holes caught me off guard actually quite a lot,” said Jason Day of Australia, a former world No. 1 and major champion. “I was quite nervous standing over the first tee shot and then it took me a few holes to get over it. It's amazing.

“We're not playing for money this week. We are playing for a medal and you’re here playing for free,” he said. “My point is that like it feels totally different. This is the most I’ve felt nervous standing on a tee box wearing a set of clothes that I’m wearing for the first time.”

Imagine the feeling of Victor Perez of France, who was chosen to hit the opening tee shot.

“Vic-TOR! Vic-TOR!” is what he heard chanted when he came across the bridge toward the tee. Dozens of French flags were waving behind him along with cheers of, “Allez, Victor!”

He pumped his right fist over his head a few times before drilling his drive.

Perez first played Le Golf National as a 12-year-old in a junior tournament. Twenty years later, he is part of the Olympics before the largest crowd at this site since the Ryder Cup in 2018.

“I’ll never hit this tee shot again, opening games in Paris and being French and having all the home support,” Perez said.

Matthieu Pavon, the other French player in the field, felt it even more. He won his first PGA Tour title in January at Torrey Pines in San Diego, always one of the larger galleries during the West Coast Swing. That was nothing compared with Thursday.

Players walk across a bridge before descending to the first tee, and Pavon was greeted by fans singing the French national anthem.

“That a crazy moment which I wasn’t prepared (for). At that moment, too big, too emotions, too many people screaming just your name," he said. “It was a tough day overall because the emotions out there — every single shot, every single tee shot, every putt, everybody is pushing you, wants you to do great. So it’s tough to manage all of this. It takes a lot of energy, and I’m pretty pleased the way that I did so far today.”

He was asked if he felt overwhelmed standing on the first tee.

“Completely,” Pavon said. “I think it's normal, no?”

Tommy Fleetwood, who won the French Open on this course and starred in the Ryder Cup in 2018, felt plenty of support being from Europe. Ditto or Shane Lowry of Ireland.

“I was expecting a little bit but the cheer on the first tee was pretty cool, and it felt like it was at home,” Lowry said. “I got goosebumps and I hit a really bad tee shot. But I’m not blaming them. It was my fault.”

“Being out there today shows you how big this tournament actually is.”

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

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Victor Perez

Victor Perez

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