THE time and the place were almost identical to 12 years ago, but the
scores definitely bore no similarity as Jack Nicklaus began his
thirty-second consecutive Open Championship.
It was at wet and wild Royal St George's in 1981 that Nicklaus opened
with an horrendous 83, only to battle back with a courageous 66 to
survive the halfway cut.
Nicklaus again had a late tee-off time in the first round, but the
Golden Bear proved that he is not ready to be pensioned off with a
one-under-par 69.
The 53-year-old three-times former champion picked up three birdies
and two bogeys in the first seven holes before reeling off 11
consecutive pars to post a sub-par score.
Nicklaus, who played well to capture the US Seniors Open last weekend,
said: ''I feel comfortable about my game coming off last week's win. I
had a big carry-over effect.
''For the first time in over a year I feel I know where the ball is
going and what I'm doing on the golf course. It's a pretty good start
and I feel it could have been better.''
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