While The Open is always a big occasion in the golfing calendar, this year's tournament will be an extra special edition. The 150th edition of the championship is taking place at St Andrews this week, the spiritual home of golf.
That has given those taking part that bit of extra motivation to lift the claret jug on Saturday, with a number of players making impressive starts in the opening round. Cameron Young topped the leaderboard on -8 after the first day's play, with Rory McIlroy a couple of shots back in second place after an excellent showing.
It looks set to be a low scoring tournament, with St Andrews offering plenty of opportunities for birdies. It may be the most famous golf course in the world, but it is far from the most difficult.
In saying that, it will still sting you if you're not careful.
Haotong Li hits bizarre shot at The Open
Just ask Haotong Li. The Chinese golfer had an average opening round, shooting even par.
He hasn't been quite so fortunate today, getting off to a disastrous start after recording a triple-bogey on the opening hole. That run featured one of the most bizarre shots you are ever likely to see at The Open.
Lining up his approach shot, the 26-year old hit it well short and it looked as though the ball could drop into the burn in front of the green. It didn't end up in the water, instead rebounding off the wall of the burn and almost roll back all the way to where the initial shot was taken.
His face said it all.
The pain on Haotong Li's face after this 😩😩
His second shot on the opening hole hits off the wall of the burn & comes nearly all the way back to him 😳🤦♂️ pic.twitter.com/lrpINkFKrx— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) July 15, 2022
He would go on to shoot a seven on that hole to move to +3 overall.
Haotong Li has been in good form recently, winning his third European Tour event last month at the BMW International Open in Germany. This is his fifth appearance at The Open, where he finished third on his debut back in 2017. However, he has missed the cut in the last two editions.
While this hasn't been his best couple of days, he will certainly remember that shot.
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