Every shot matters in major championship golf, and a bad break for Tommy Fleetwood just a few holes into the British Open could be a major factor as the weekend approaches.
The Open Championship opened under gray skies at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland where play was an absolute slog — and not just because of the course. Pace of play was downright abysmal in Round 1, with players sounding off.
Apparently, someone must have been trying operate with some haste and neglected to rake a bunker at the par-4 fifth hole. Fleetwood’s drive found that unraked fairway bunker, and he was forced to play his bole in a footprint.
Fleetwood chunked his shot out of the bunker, no more than 20 feet in front of him. His third shot went long of the pin, just barely holding the green, and Fleetwood did well to make no worse than his bogey five.
Either way, it wasn’t good, and it instantly became a bit of a controversy.
Tommy Fleetwood Pays For Someone Else’s British Open Bunker Mistake
Fleetwood, who doesn’t usually show much emotion, was caught on a hot mic screaming an obscenity.
It didn’t take long for internet investigators to find the guilty party. No Laying Up’s Chris Solomon did some quick research based on shot-by-shot data and tracking, and wondered whether Sebastian Cave — or more specifically, his caddie — was the one who caused the incident.
In hindsight, this sort of thing happening isn’t terribly surprising. Granted, Cave’s caddie — or whoever the guilty party was — should have raked the bunker. However, a curious decision by the R&A helped make this possible.
How British Open Change Led to Bunkergate
NBC Sports’ Smylie Kaufman pointed out earlier in the week that the rakes themselves were a little different with the teeth more spread out. As he mentioned, “the bunkers are leaving deeper marks. Balls are settling down into those grooves more, which makes it harder to get spin around the green.”
On top of that, PGA Tour veteran Billy Horschel, who isn’t playing due to injury, chimed in to add even more context. There are no designated bunker rakers for the 2025 Open, apparently a change from the past, and a decision that could have prevented Fleetwood’s unfortunate break.
This is what Horschel said the day before the tournament even began.d
The bogey on the fifth was the tail end of a rough two-hole stretch for Fleetwood, who also bogeyed No. 4. He made three bogeys on the front (as well as a birdie) to make the turn at 2-over before steadying the ship with a string of pars to open the back.
Fleetwood entered the week looking to finally break through and build on some momentum. He has two top-10 finishes, including a fourth-place showing, in his last three appearances at The Open. Given how low a chunk of the field went — the scoreboard was littered with scores in the 60s, Fleetwood couldn’t afford to give away much in order to keep pace.
As golf-stat whiz Justin Ray pointed out shortly after the round began, the last 25 British Open winners finished the first round within five shots of the lead.
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