The Open: Who is Jacob Skov Olesen in early lead? Amateur success, golfer girlfriend and quick main begin at Royal Portrush

Jacob Skov Olesen admitted that even he was shocked by his quick begin to The 153rd Open after grabbing a shock share of the early lead at Royal Portrush.

The DP World Tour rookie blended an eagle and 4 birdies with two bogeys throughout an opening-round 67 on Thursday morning, leaving the world No 354 setting the clubhouse goal at 4 beneath.

Olesen’s solely earlier main look was final 12 months’s Open Championship, the place he ended tied-Sixtieth as novice, whereas the 26-year-old has struggled for type in latest months after a robust begin to his season.

“The way I was playing, I wouldn’t say it [leading] was in the cards,” Olesen admitted. “I would say I always feel like if I play my game that I can do well, especially around here, around links courses.

“I form it round with some good brief sport as effectively, however it hasn’t been excellent golf the final couple of months. I’ve been driving it effectively, however my strategy sport has been fairly terrible to say the least.”

Olesen holed a 40-foot birdie on the first and two-putted from 15 ft on the seventh, then cancelled out failing to rise up and down to avoid wasting par on the eighth by rolling in from 15 ft on the tenth.

He jumped forward with a 42-foot eagle on the twelfth and chipped in to birdie the par-five fifteenth, solely to lose his outright benefit when he missed from 10 ft on the final and carded a final-hole bogey.

“Obviously annoyed to finish off with a bogey and not getting it up in two from there,” Olesen added. “But it happens and whether it happens on hole seven or hole 18, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter for the full round.”

Who is Jacob Skov Olesen? His rise to main rivalry

Olesen grew to become the primary Dane to win The Amateur Championship final summer season and went on to complete Sixtieth at The Open that 12 months, however gave up his place at The Masters and the US Open after securing his DP World Tour card at Qualifying School in November.

He beforehand impressed in faculty golf within the United States, competing within the Arnold Palmer Cup, though at all times elected to see out college relatively than flip skilled at a youthful age.

“I wasn’t good enough,” Olesen admitted. “I wanted to get my degree and work on my game and played very strong fields in amateur golf over there as well, which I think helps prepare you for pro golf.

“I was never in college thinking ‘I’m going to quit college and go pro now’, because I wasn’t at the level that was required.”

He rapidly adjusted to the skilled ranks with 5 top-13 finishes in eight begins on the DP World Tour, together with a share of seventh on the Joburg Open, tied-eighth on the Volvo China Open and tied-ninth on the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open.

He acted as caddie for girlfriend and fellow skilled golfer Darcey Harry on the Ladies European Tour simply final month, the place the Welshwoman gained the Hulencourt Women’s Open to say her maiden skilled victory.

Olesen added top-20 finishes on the Turkish Airlines Open and KLM Open, though he struggled to contend on the Italian Open earlier than lacking the reduce on the BMW International Open and ISCO Championship in his final two begins.

He rounds of 65-69 at Burnham and Barrow on July 1 to complete second at his venue for Final Qualifying and safe his spot at The Open, whereas he at the moment sits 62nd within the Race to Dubai standings and is well-placed to retain his full-time DP World Tour standing.

A quick begin in Northern Ireland has raised hopes of a career-changing week.

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