AdvertisementAdvertisementJul 16, 2026; Southport, ENG; Matthew Baldwin lines up a putt on the eighth green during the first round of The Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Birkdale. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn ImagesJul 16, 2026; Southport, ENG; Matthew Baldwin plays a shot on hole 10 during the first round of The Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Birkdale. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images16 Jul 2026 07:41PM Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInAdd CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results.Read a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST SOUTHPORT, July 16 : Local lad Matthew Baldwin led a posse of English players with early starts at the British Open on Thursday hoping to lift the mood after the nation's World Cup heartache.Baldwin, playing at his home club, struck the first tee shot at Royal Birkdale and went on to card a two-over 72.The 40-year-old admitted he had hardly slept the previous night, dozing through England's 2-1 defeat by Argentina in the semi-finals of the World Cup before getting up in the small hours to prepare for his opening round starting at 0535GMT."I didn't watch it. I had it on quiet in bed, dozing. I remember waking up at 55 minutes and saw that England had scored and fell back asleep," he told reporters.Show MoreShow Less"Then I woke up again at probably midnight and my wife told me they had lost."So, England's wait for a first World Cup title since 1966 goes on but home fans will hope that an Englishman can raise the mood by winning the Open and becoming the first player from England to do so since Nick Faldo in 1992.Daniel Brown, who led after the first round at Royal Troon in 2024 ranked 272nd in the world, was the leading Englishman on the early leaderboard at four under.Tommy Fleetwood, like Baldwin, grew up near Birkdale and he attracted large crowds for his opening round alongside Spain's former world number one Jon Rahm and 2017 champion at Royal Birkdale Jordan Spieth.Fleetwood's Ryder Cup team mate Tyrrell Hatton was also out early alongside world number one and reigning champion Scottie Scheffler.Source: ReutersNewsletterRecommended ReadSubscribe to CNA's Recommended ReadA single handpicked story that we think you shouldn't miss. Just one a day.Sign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereAlso worth readingContent is loading...Expand to read the full storyGet bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST