Paul Casey leads strong British showing in first round at BirkdalePaul Casey shares a joke with caddie Johnnie McLaren on his way to a 4-under 66 in the first round at Royal Birkdale. Warren Little/R&A/R&A via Getty ImagesFacebookTwitterFacebook MessengerEmailcomment5:13 PM ETLeo SpallUK Correspondent Close• Formerly ESPN.co.uk deputy editor
• Worked with ESPN since 2014
• Reported and edited for newspapers including the Daily Mail, The Telegraph and The Independent
• Follow him on Twitter @LeoSpallESPN
FacebookTwitterFacebook MessengerPinterestEmailprintcommentSOUTHPORT, England – There cannot have been many golfers at Royal Birkdale happier with their lot than Paul Casey after the first round of The Open.
Never mind that there were a few names above the Briton's on the leaderboard, he was justly satisfied with a 4-under 66, and that was not all. As he prepared to reach the middle-age landmark birthday of 40 on Friday, there seemed little in his life that wasn't spot on.
“I..

Rested, not rusty, Koepka goes straight back into major contentionFacebookTwitterFacebook MessengerEmailcomment1:01 PM ETBob HarigESPN Senior Writer Close Senior golf writer for ESPN.com
Covered golf for more than 20 years
Earned Evans Scholarship to attend Indiana UniversityFacebookTwitterFacebook MessengerPinterestEmailprintcommentSOUTHPORT, England — Brooks Koepka isn't giving up much. After all, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. But one thing the U.S. Open champion acknowledged was his golf clubs did not travel to Sin City in the aftermath of his triumph last month at Erin Hills.
Aside from one round with his manager and another day for a photo shoot, Koepka did not pick up a golf club in the aftermath of his victory until arriving in England last Friday.
So much for the need to knock off competitive rust and keep the game sharp.
Editor's PicksThe Open tournament schedule, scores and coverageGet dates, TV schedule, news coverage, live scores and results on ESPN fo..

Caddie Confidential: What makes The Open, Royal Birkdale uniqueplayThe subtle difference between a draw and fade off the tee (1:57)Tony Finau steps into the ESPN Sport Science lab to show the difference between hitting the two drives. (1:57)
FacebookTwitterFacebook MessengerEmailcomment4:51 PM ETMichael CollinsESPN Senior Writer Close Senior writer/video talent for ESPN.com
Worked for several players as PGA Tour caddie
Former stand-up comedianFacebookTwitterFacebook MessengerPinterestEmailprintcommentSOUTHPORT, England — Mother Nature dropped her fury on the course Wednesday, leaving you and me standing in the cold with no rain gear and no Caddie Confidential.
But we were not dissuaded Thursday, thanks to a very nice caddie who had to go back to work for a bit after we started talking but came back to finish our chat. Ready to hear the truth about Royal Birkdale and the first-round setup? The promise of anonymity to my caddie friends means you always know you get the truth. Enjoy Ca..

Ernie Els in best shape in years for a major challenge at The OpenErnie Els waves to the crowd as he walks up the 18th hole during the first round at The Open, where he carded a 68 to sit three shots off the lead. Andrew Redington/Getty ImagesFacebookTwitterFacebook MessengerEmailcomment3:43 PM ETLeo SpallUK Correspondent Close• Formerly ESPN.co.uk deputy editor
• Worked with ESPN since 2014
• Reported and edited for newspapers including the Daily Mail, The Telegraph and The Independent
• Follow him on Twitter @LeoSpallESPN
FacebookTwitterFacebook MessengerPinterestEmailprintcommentSOUTHPORT, England – Ernie Els is too long in the tooth to get carried away after the first round of an Open Championship but he says he's feeling better than he has at this major in years.
The 47-year-old has missed two Open cuts since he won at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in 2012, and his best finish since was T25 four years ago.
Els' 2-under 68 on Thursday put him three shots behind first-round le..

Spieth dissects Royal Birkdale to grab share of Open leadplayDay, Johnson, McIlroy all still in the mix (1:34)Favorites Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy are multiple shots back after one round at The Open, but Tony Kornheiser says they are still in striking distance. (1:34)
FacebookTwitterFacebook MessengerEmailcomment6:14 PM ETKevin Van ValkenburgESPN Senior Writer CloseSenior Writer for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine
Born and raised in Western Montana
Spent 11 years as a feature writer for The Baltimore SunFollow on TwitterFacebookTwitterFacebook MessengerPinterestEmailprintcommentSOUTHPORT, England — Anyone who has watched Jordan Spieth closely the past five years likely understands how obsessive he is about maintaining routines. He tries to hit the same number of balls in warm-ups before each round. He's used the same putter since he was 15 years old. His meticulous pre-shot routine almost never varies, even when he's criticized for slowing down play. He is a m..