SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — Matthew Baldwin had the honor of hitting the opening tee shot of the game. british open At Royal Birkdale, Brit has been a member for 23 years, having grown up in the area.
That meant a 3:30am alarm was needed.
It also meant missing out on the biggest soccer match in his country’s history.
Baldwin said he didn’t watch the England game. A heartbreaking 2-1 loss They will face Argentina in the men’s World Cup semi-final, which began Wednesday at 8 p.m. He dozed off until he woke up 55 minutes into the match and learned England were leading 1-0. He fell asleep and woke up again around midnight to be informed by his wife that England had lost.
More importantly for Baldwin, it was a good start to his fourth British Open appearance and his first at Birkdale.
He said his first shot with an iron splitting the middle of a dry fairway was acknowledged by a cheering crowd in the packed bleachers in the early morning sun. “Horrifying” and “overwhelmed.”
“But,” added Baldwin, who shot a 2-over 72, “it’s something that will stay with me for the rest of my life.”
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