The grand stage at Royal Liverpool is set for the 143rd Open Championships. Just five minutes before eleven in the morning on Thursday, Indian time, David Duval will accompany David Howell and Robert Karlsson to the first tee to get the tournament going. The three will need to hit the bed rather early tonight, since it will only be a little after six in Hoylake when they take to the pristine links at The Open.
Anirban Lahiri is in the fifth group, playing alongside Koumei Oda and Ben Martin. He is the only Indian on show at this year’s edition of golf’s most prestigious event. The group will tee off at 11:39 IST.
Italian Edoardo Molinari and Thai Kiradech Aphibarnrat will get their show going ten minutes after Lahiri and company start their first round. A little after noon, Francesco Molinari will join with Ryan Moore and Thorbjorn Olesen to the first tee.
Luke Donald and Sergio Garcia can grab a quick lunch before getting on the course – the thirteenth group on the tee will do it at 13:07 IST. Anticipation will have reached fever pitch by then as crowds gather to welcome Tiger Woods, Angel Cabrere and Henrik Stenson to the tee at 13:34 IST.
Rory McIlroy, who had an up and down outing at the Scottish Open, will take to the course moments before the clock strikes two in the afternoon in India. In one of the most exciting pairing of the day, he will have Hideki Matsuyama and Jordan Spieth to keep him company for the first two rounds.
Thongchai Jaidee, eager to ensure a good tournament, will tee off at 17:57 IST with Miguel Angel Jiminez and Bill Haas. Phil Mickelson and Martin Kaymer are slotted into the course a little later, in two separate groups.
Just before 0700pm IST, the in-form Justin Rose will walk out with Adam Scott and Jason Dufner with a clear view of what it might take to climb up the leaderboard.
Report by Anand Datla
Follow @SportASmile
