Louis Oosthuizen and Jordan Spieth hold the lead after the first round.
SANDWICH, England — The majors finally had a degree of normalcy Thursday at Royal St. George’s. Louis Oosthuizen and Jordan Spieth leading the way at the British Open felt pretty familiar, too. Cheered on by the biggest golf crowd since the coronavirus outbreak, Oosthuizen saved par from a fairway bunker on the final hole for a 6-under 64 to take the early lead. Spieth was only one stroke back by making putts like it was 2017 all over again. “It feels inside the ropes, from the first tee forward, the most normal of any tournament we have played thus far relative to that same tournament in previous years, pre-COVID,” said Spieth, whose run of four straight birdies in his round of 65 reminded him of his play at Royal Birkdale when he lifted the claret jug four years ago. Oosthuizen is coming off two straight runner-up finishes at majors — the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open — and is contending again after tying the lowest opening round at Royal St. George’s. Christy O’Connor Jr. had a 64 in 1981. That didn’t look as though it would be the case after the South African opened with seven straight pars. He followed with six birdies in his next nine holes. “I’ve learnt over the years playing major championships that patience is the key thing,” said Oosthuizen, who hasn’t won one of them since the British Open at St. Andrews in 2010.
