Cal Golf: Collin Morikawa, Byeong Hun An Tied for Ninth Place at The (British) Open

It would be an exaggeration to suggest that Cal is taking over The Open at Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Kent, England.

But two former Golden Bears are among the leaders after the first round of the event we refer to as the British Open.

Collin Morikawa and Byeong Hun An are among nine golfers tied for ninth place after Thursday. Both shot 67s and are at three-under par, three strokes back of leader Louis Oosthuizen.

A third former Cal golfer, Max Homa, started his day with a double-bogey but responded with 11 straight pars before making birdies on Nos. 13 and 14. He finished the day with an even-par 70 and tied for 50th place, six strokes off the lead.

Morikawa, playing the oldest major for the first time, was coming off a tough week at the Scottish Open, where he finished in a tie for 71st place.

The opening round of his second try on a links-style course so common in Europe went far better.

The 24-year-old, already a major winner after capturing the 2020 PGA Championship, made birdies on three of the four par-3 holes, Nos. 3, 6 and 16. He also birdied the eighth and had just one bogey, on No. 5.

His steady play was in dramatic contrast to four days earlier when the world’s fourth-ranked player put together four consecutive bogeys — including a double — during one nightmarish stretch on Sunday.

Morikawa told CBS Sports he was excited about tinkering with his game to find success at Royal St. George’s.

“Being creative is what I do,” Morikawa said. “Being creative, especially with my iron shots, that’s what I love to do. I love to work the ball. Love to figure out different heights you have to hit it, see different windows. That what’s links golf does and what it tests. I think it fits right into my pocket with that, and hopefully we can continue to stress the things I do well and hopefully just have a great putting week.”

An, 29, played just a single season at Cal before turning pro. This is the eighth time the South Korea native has played the British, and his highest finish was a ie for 26th place in 2016. His first try at the prestigious event was in 2010, when he failed to make the cut as an 18-year-old, a year after he’d become the youngest winner of the U.S. Amateur.

An sprinkled five birdies in his Thursday round, including on Nos. 17 and 18 to make up for bogeys on the 13th and 16th.

Among those tied with the two Cal golfers at 67 are Scottie Scheffler, ranked No. 19 in the world but still seeking his first professional title, and 40-year-old South African Justin Rose, the winner of 25 pro titles including the 2013 U.S. Open, and runner-up in this event in 2018.

Oosthuizen, the 38-year-old South African who was runner-up at the recent U.S. Open, had six birdies on the way to a bogey-free round of 64.

He leads by a stroke over Jordan Spieth, the 2015 U.S. Open and PGA winner and 2017 champion in this event, and Brian Harman, whose highest finish at The Open was 26th in 2014. Spieth made four straight birdies at one point Thursday and Harman opened with five birdies over his first eight holes on their way to each shooting 65s.

Webb Simpson is among five golfers tied for fourth at 66.

Here’s how other top names fared in the opening round:

— No. 1-ranked Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia are tied for 19th at minus-2.

— Brooks Koepka, ranked No. 8, is tied for 32nd at minus-1.

— World No. 2 and pre-tournament favorite Jon Rahm had a double-bogey at No. 9 on his way to shooting a 71 that leaves him tied for 73rd place. No. 6 Bryson DeChambeau, thanks to five bogeys, is also at plus-1.

— Third-ranked Justin Thomas resides in a tie for 91st place after shooting a 72.

Cover photo of Collin Morikawa by Orlando Ramirez, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo