Sandy Lyle chosen to hit the opening shot of Open
Shrewsbury-born golfer Sandy Lyle has been handed the honour of starting the 2018 Open Championship.
In the absence of 1999 Carnoustie winner Paul Lawrie, who would have been an ideal candidate to hit the opening shot but is ruled out through injury, fellow Scot and 1985 winner Lyle will have that opportunity at 6.35am on Thursday.
Lyle is joined in the opening group by two-time major winner Martin Kaymer and England’s Andy Sullivan.
Tiger Woods faces a lengthy wait to make his first Open Championship start since 2015 after being handed a late tee time for the opening round.
Three-time winner Woods, who missed out in the last two years due to injury, will get his campaign for a 15th major title under way at 3.21pm alongside Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and Scotland’s Russell Knox.
The last of Woods’ Open titles came back in 2006 at Hoylake and the 42-year-old will encounter similar conditions at Carnoustie, which is playing so hard and fast that players have been driving into the Barry Burn in front of the 18th green in practice.
