After the first round of the Open Championship, 1 word was on all lips

Tyrrell Hatton left the course in Royal Portrush on Thursday after shooting a three-below 68 player to open the 153rd open championship. In addition to a series of burned edges, it was a good round of the Englishman who, at the US Open 2025 in Oakmont on a Northern Irish route, who threw his fastball and some off-speed parking spaces on the best off-speed parking spaces on Thursday.

How did Hatton, who spent the afternoon, to bark the Greens and to gesture his caddy, found the opening round of the oldest major in the Golf in his return to Portrush?

“I'm happy about how I played out there. Sometimes it was pretty difficult, and certainly the last three or four holes that the wind really recorded,” said Hatton.

Pretty difficult.

If there is a word that can describe on Thursday at the open championship – from the holes to the conditions – it was “difficult”. Regardless of whether you were tied to the 18-hole lead or from the last major of the year, Royal Portrush, in the opening round was difficult to be unanswered than a snake cube.

Eight hours before Hatton left the stage after his first round, Nicolai Hojgaard entered the microphone after a two-end round and got the news.

“It was difficult; I found the course difficult,” said Hojgaard. “There was a lot of destruction, and I had the feeling that it was difficult to hit the fairways. But yes, the course plays exactly as we want. It is difficult. The wind is difficult. But if you have control, you can put birdies out there.”

Added Northern Ireland's own and portrus member Tom McKibbin, who got you out: “It was difficult. Some of the PIN positions are really good. They are just hanging. I have played here so often and you would never think about seeing pens where they are. It played quite difficult.”

Players such as Adam Scott, Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia, who emerged in the early part of the afternoon wave, were torn from the goal with rain, which made the gods more difficult, and then had to deal with the windier conditions under the more demanding part of the last nine.

Which of course only contributed to the fair but hard test Royal Portrush this week.

“It is a tricky golf course, depending on where the wind is and what kind of weather we have,” said Fowler, who opened with a round of two under. “You have to think and beat – execute it quietly, but also know when you may be able to play on an aggressive side or when you play conservatively or just stay smart and take what the course gives you.”

Garcia made three direct birdies on the front nine, but returned some to shoot an opening round 70. He is three racks of the guide with four males.

“I thought the conditions were not bad, but sometimes they were difficult,” said Garcia. “Our first six holes were quite difficult with rain and wind. Funny enough, I probably played something of my best golf here.”

There was Adam Scott, who moved with Portrush to turn you and spoke about the difficulty of changing conditions during the round. Of course, this contributes to the level of difficulty, which should only be set up.

“It felt as if we were weakening in the rain and played the whole lot in the rain. It was sometimes difficult. But my golf was fine,” said Scott.

Portush has its share of economical holes, but it also has a number of holes who can even rattle the best in the world when they get into the blender.

First, the Par-4 11th hole, which played the most difficult hole during the opening round on Thursday with an average of 4.40.

The defending champion Xander Schauffele found this first-hand when he met his tee into the native area on the right side of the Fairway, laying it up and finally walking away with Bogey after missing an 18-foot podent for Par.

“Eleven falls into my mind and rain in my mind, it is difficult in this hole,” said Schauffele. “You try to do your best to meet this fairway. If you miss it, you are life for love.”

Schuffele was far from beating No. 11.

Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa and Hideki Matsuyama all made Bogey. Brooks Koepka made twice.

Then of course there is the opening hole that terrorized the early groups.

McKibbin admitted that I had thought about McIlroy's opening in 2019, sailing from the borders and opened by Major, who was eight. The first played as a fifth -hard hole and on the left scars on McIlroy, Thomas and Jason Day in round 1. ”It is 270 until the first part and then 290 to the second part to the left,” said the day, the number 1. The greens are so firm, so it is difficult to get the right distance.

With a word … Yep, difficult.