Courtesy: Tim Casey

Former Gators attend 150th The Open

The 150th British Open is underway in Scotland. The prestigious tournament returned to The Old Course at St. Andrews for the final major of the season. Three former Gators appeared in the tournament but did not fare too well in the first round.

Horschel, Horsfield and Calcavecchia at The Open

The former Florida golfers at The Open are Billy Horschel, Sam Horsfield and Mark Calcavecchia.

Horschel started the first nine holes strong, shooting under par on the first, fifth, and seventh holes. He shot on par for the rest of the round. The back nine did not go as well as the front, however.

For over half the round, Horschel finished each hole with a bogey. Horschel finished the first round one stroke over par.

Horsfield Unable to Get Things Going

The English national also struggled at The Open. Sam Horsfield was able to shoot for three birdies on the day but was mired by his seven bogeys. Four of those bogeys came on the front nine.

In the second round, Horsfield was inconsistent, shooting a bogey on Hole 12, a birdie on 13 and, another bogey on 14. Horsfield finished the first round four strokes over par.

Calcavecchia has seen better days

Bringing up the rear and also evidently missing some clubs, Mark Calcavecchia finished the first round in last place, shooting 11 over par.

Calcavecchia’s first round could have seen some improvement. His first hole of the round didn’t go well, shooting a double bogey to start the day. More bogeys followed on holes five and six. Calcavecchia did however finish the first round strong, shooting a birdie on the ninth hole.

Round two did not go well for the former Gator. Starting three strokes over par, he shot two bogeys on holes 15 and 16. He also shot a double bogey on hole 13 and a triple on hole 17.

He did finish out the day strong, shooting par on the final hole of the round.

Young in the lead at The Open

American Cameron Young leads the first round, shooting eight strokes under par.

About Matthew Bell

Matthew Bell is a senior at the University of Florida. He completed his associates degree at State College of Florida in Bradenton and transferred to UF in 2019. His favorite sports are American football and baseball. Matthew also contributes to The Point Podcast and provides local hourly news for All Things Considered.

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