Swede loses 'ankle bracelet', tattoo talk and smoker treading carefully - Martin Dempster's Open diary

Swede shakes off ‘ankle bracelet’

Henrik Stenson, the 2016 winner and back on an Open leaderboard after a birdie-birdie finish at Birkdale, is still one of the wittiest golfers in the game.

“Yeah, so from the end of August, they removed my ankle bracelet, and I'll be out of that one-year probation,” declared the Swede.

He was, of course, referring to his PGA Tour/Champions Tour sanctions after being relegated from the LIV Golf League.

Stenson is a new recruit to the senior ranks after turning 50 in April. He played in the US Senior Open earlier this month and is teeing up in next week’s ISPS HANDA Senior Open at Gleneagles.

“Might play something on the DP World Tour in August, and then I'm playing some Champions events and some bits and pieces on the back end of the schedule,” he said.

Tattoo talk in Mixed Zone

Forget birdies and bogeys. Tattoos were the talk for a spell in the Mixed Zone at Royal Birkdale.

“There is actually,” replied Jordan Smith to being asked if there was a story behind one he has of triangles. “Me and two other friends, who are both caddies actually, we went into London and had a bit of a boozy lunch.

“One of them said there's a really well-known tattoo shop up there. Googling tatties for three friends, triangles kept coming up. We all went and got the same thing and don't regret it.”

A bit later Dan Brown also spoke about tattoos, revealing he has “ten now” after going a “bit mad” but “don’t really want any more”.

Richard Boxall’s Monty joke

It may have been painful at the time but Richard Boxall has been joking about the broken leg he suffered playing at Royal Birkdale.

The Englishman was just two shots off the lead in the 1991 event at the Southport venue when he collapsed in a heap on the ninth tee after suffering a stress fracture of his left leg.

“The things you’ll do to get out of playing with Colin Montgomerie,” joked Boxall in a spell in the Sky Sports commentary box on the opening day with Ewan Murray.

Smoker treading carefully

Daniel Brown is hoping his Open hopes literally don’t go up in flames at baked Birkdale.

With the course like a tinderbox, spectators are being warned about the risk of fire hazards.

Brown is a smoker and reckons he had “seven or eight” as he opened promisingly with a four-under-par 66.

“I've not been told otherwise,” replied the Englishman to being asked if it had been mentioned to him that he was allowed to smoke this week. “But I've been making sure that they're out.”