At 6:35 a.m. local time Thursday in Hoylake, England, Matthew Jordan stepped up to hit the first shot of the 151st Open Championship.
It's a shot he has hit many times before, albeit under different circumstances. Jordan, a 27-year-old English professional golfer, has been a member at Royal Liverpool for 20 years. He was in attendance as a fan when Tiger Woods won the Open Championship there in 2006, and when Rory McIlroy did the same in 2014.
This week, he will tee it up at his home course alongside the best players in the world.
MORE: Live leaderboard for 151st Open Championship
"It's an amazing honor," Jordan said prior to the tournament, per the Open Championship's website. "I'm sure the first tee, no matter what, was going to be special, but obviously to have this as a kid growing up, I used to wake up early at half six, and that was The Open commencing. I've got fond memories, so to have this honor is brilliant."
''It’s an amazing honour.''
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 2023
Matthew Jordan will hit the first shot at The 151st Open.
A full circle moment. pic.twitter.com/sYY5qOXibG
Jordan pulled the shot a bit left into the rough, but he recovered from it — as well as his approach into a bunker — to make par on the first. From there, Jordan put his local knowledge to excellent use. He ended his round on the first page of the leaderboard, courtesy of a 2-under-par 69.
Here's more of what you need to know about Jordan.
Who is Matthew Jordan?
Jordan grew up barely a mile from the first tee box at Royal Liverpool, in the town of West Kirby. He became a member at the club when he was 7, with his father and grandfather both members before him.
He made the Open field through a 36-hole qualifying event earlier this month at West Lancashire Golf Club. He finished second at 10 under par, one shot behind fellow Englishman Matt Wallace. Spanish icon Sergio Garcia finished at 6 under, three strokes short of what he needed to qualify.
It is the second time Jordan has qualified for the Open; the first came last year at St. Andrews. He missed the cut at the 2022 Open by two strokes.
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Matthew Jordan golf career
Jordan has one professional win to his name: the 2019 Italian Challenge Open on the Challenge Tour. He has been in good form in recent months, however, posting five consecutive top-40 finishes on the DP World Tour from late May to early July.
His track record at this week's venue should certainly give him confidence. He says his personal best round at the course is a 10-under-par 62, and he won three club championships in a row before turning his attention to his amateur career.
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Jordan hopes his experience at Royal Liverpool will give him a leg up on the competition, but he's not planning to share much of his course knowledge.
“A couple of players have approached me so far, but I've only just arrived," he said. "I might pick and choose what I tell people.”
He might be very tight-lipped after his opening round on Thursday.
