SA’s Bezuidenhout in the leading pack as weather tests Open Championship field

Me? A golfer? Not by any stretch of the imagination, I’m afraid. But in Kimberley, at both the Kimberley and Magersfontein golf courses, local golfers are spoiled with near perfect year-round playing conditions.

Sure, there are days when the wind picks up, or it gets icy cold, swelteringly hot, or a bit wet — but admit it: most of the time, the ball flies true. And, dare I say it, when it doesn’t, it’s usually a case of an open or closed clubface, a poor grip, or bad stance.

Over in Ireland, though, things are a little different. Over there, the challenging conditions can make even the most positive golfer a bit grouchy.

However, Christiaan Bezuidenhout gave South African golf fans a reason to smile on Thursday, finishing the first round of the 2025 Open Championship tied for the lead after carding a composed four-under-par 67 at Royal Portrush.

Steady performance

Bezuidenhout’s steady performance placed him in a five-way tie at the top of the leaderboard alongside China’s Li Haotong, England’s Matt Fitzpatrick, Denmark’s Jacob Skov Olesen, and American Harris English.

But if the leaderboard looked calm, the conditions on the Dunluce Links were anything but. After a relatively pleasant start, the weather turned on the field, with persistent drizzle, gusting winds, and heavy skies making scoring difficult throughout the rest of the day.

“The rain was coming in sideways,” said world number one Scottie Scheffler, who shot a three-under 68. “It’s actually, believe it or not, not that easy to get the ball in the fairway.”

Tournament organisers and spectators are bracing for more of the same on Friday. Forecasters expect another grey, damp day with limited sunshine and more showers predicted to interrupt play.

Weather a big test

For many players, the weather was the biggest test. Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy opened with a bogey – an all-too-familiar moment at Portrush, where a nightmare start in 2019 cost him a place in the weekend. This time, the home favourite quickly recovered and even surged to three under before slipping again during the gusty middle stretch. He finished the day at one under.

“I was just happy to get off to a good start and get myself into the tournament,” McIlroy said. “Certainly dealt with [the pressure] better than I did six years ago.”

Early surprises

Among the early surprises was 354th-ranked Jacob Skov Olesen, who sank a 40-foot birdie putt at the first and eagled the 12th before a closing bogey cost him the outright lead. “Whether it happens on hole seven or hole 18, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter,” he said.

China’s Li Haotong, who avoided a single bogey in his round, described the test as “brutal,” while Fitzpatrick, the 2022 US Open champion, was more upbeat. “It was just an all-around good day,” he said.

As round two looms, Bezuidenhout will be hoping to build on his strong start, weather permitting.