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It is suggested often that you cannot win a major championship on the first day of four, but you most certainly can lose one.
But just how important is a good start for players looking to be crowned the Champion Golfer of the Year? And where do Open winners tend to be placed after each round?
To find out, we have looked back at every Open since 2000 and tracked the round-by-round performances of the eventual Champions.
Opening up a first-day lead may boost a player’s confidence, but it rarely leads to victory at The Open.
Only three of the past 20 Champion Golfers – Tiger Woods in 2005, Rory McIlroy in 2014 and Jordan Spieth in 2017 – led at the end of the opening round on their way to lifting the Claret Jug.
In addition, nobody since 2000 has gone on to win The Open after leading by more than one shot through 18 holes. Woods and McIlroy were one clear of their nearest rivals in 2005 and 2014 respectively, while Spieth was a co-leader on Thursday at Royal Birkdale four years ago.
It may be wise, however, to keep a close eye on anyone in second place after Round 1 this year at Royal St George’s. Second is the most common first-round placing among the past 20 Champion Golfers, with Woods (2000 and 2006), Louis Oosthuizen (2010), Zach Johnson (2015) and Shane Lowry (2019) each occupying that position after their opening 18.
For further insight into the round-by-round performances of Champion Golfers of the Year at The Open, visit https://www.theopen.com/Latest/Round-by-round-Champion-Golfer-stats.
The R&A