'We'll talk again': The Open's 52y/o with no expectations may yet have title in him

As had been the case in that shoot-out on the Ayrshire coast, the Englishman produced a polished performance in changeable conditions at Royal Portrush in the opening circuit in the Claret Jug event.

Making his 28th appearance in the tournament, Westwood signed for a two-under-par 69, admitting it could have been better but, nonetheless, being pleased with his day’s work on the County Antrim coast.

“Everything really,” he replied to being asked what he’d been particularly pleased about in a round that contained four birdies in the first 12 holes before giving two of them back with bogeys at the 14th and 16th on the delightful Dunluce Links.

“Hit the ball well. Had loads of chances. Putted great. Short game was good when I needed it. Yeah, it was all around. It couldn't have been really any more than 69, I don't think. I feel in control of my golf swing. Yeah, it's as good as it's been for a while.”

The former world No 1 is making his 93rd major start, having missed this one in both 2023 and 2024 but being tempted on this occasion by the venue in particular. “I love The Open Championship, and I love Portrush,” said the man who holds the record for most major appearances without a win.

‘Not many courses like that’

“I've been coming here for a long time. It's one of the golf courses where, if it wasn't The Open and somebody said do you want to play Portrush this weekend, I'd probably go. There's not many golf courses like that.”

At one point, Westwood and Phil Mickelson, who also started promisingly with a 70, shared the lead. “Oh, yeah,” said Westwood of it being a round that had got his juices flowing. “Can't beat seeing your name up there on a Thursday. We'll talk again if it's up there on Sunday (laughing).”

Fellow LIV Golf player Mickelson made an outrageous par save at the short third, where he was unable to escape from a buried lie under the lip of a bunker with his first attempt but then holed the next one. “Yeah, that was a crazy one,” admitted the 2013 winner.

His card contained three birdies and two bogeys. “I really hit a lot of good shots today, and it wasn't too stressful,” said the six-time major winner, who, like Westwood, is a huge fan of this golf course. “I just find that it's a very rewarding course if you hit good shots and a very penalising course if you hit a really bad shot. It seems like it penalises it to the degree which it should.”

Mickelson’s title triumph in this event came seven days after he also won the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart. “I think winning The Open in 2013 was the greatest accomplishment in my career because I had to learn a style of golf that I didn't grow up playing,” he said.

“It's kind of the greatest source of pride for me as a player to overcome those obstacles. Now I've come to really love it, enjoy it, and I seem to play well in some of the adverse conditions, too.”