SOUTHPORT, England — Matthew Baldwin had the honor of hitting the opening tee shot of the British Open at Royal Birkdale, where the Englishman has been a member for 23 years after growing up in the area.
It meant needing a 3:30 a.m. alarm.
It also meant missing one of his country’s biggest ever soccer matches.
Baldwin said he didn’t watch England’s agonizing 2-1 loss to Argentina in the men’s World Cup semifinals, a match that started at 8 p.m. on Wednesday. He was dozing until waking up 55 minutes into the game and discovering England was leading 1-0. He fell asleep and woke up again around midnight, to be informed by his wife that England lost.
More important to Baldwin was making a good start to his fourth appearance at the Open - and first at Birkdale.
He said the opening shot - an iron that split the middle of the parched fairway and was approved by a cheering crowd in a full grandstand under early morning sunshine - was “terrifying” and “overwhelming.”
“But,” added Baldwin, who shot 2-over 72, “it’s something that will stay with me for the rest of my life.”
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