The surprise in the early morning of the Open Championship 2023 is quite something. It is the 1.90 meter tall South African youngster Christo Lamprecht.
The rising Georgia Tech senior, who is ranked as the world’s No. 3 amateur, posted a 5-under 66 rating at Royal Liverpool in the opening round and entered the clubhouse as a solo first. Tommy Fleetwood later finished the race with the same result and secured Lamprecht the lead on lap 1.
“It’s pretty surreal,” he told reporters afterwards. “It’s nice to see that all the hard work behind the scenes is paying off. I haven’t dreamed of this, but it’s pretty cool.”
Lamprecht’s round was highlighted by three birdies in his first six holes, a chip-in for a birdie on the 14th and hitting the par 5 18th. in two holes for a tap-in birdie to close the round. The viral highlight, meanwhile, came with a seemingly impossible shot from a steep greenside pot bunker in the fourth round when Lamprecht stood fully upright, one leg in the bunker and one stretched back in the fairway, something only an NBA center could pull through can.
Lamprecht, 22, qualified for this Open Championship by winning the British Amateur at Hillside Golf Club. He played alongside compatriot Louis Oosthuizen in the first round and stole the show.
Both his game and size surpassed the solid 2-under performance of 27-year-old Matthew Jordan, who grew up a mile from Royal Liverpool and had been a member since he was eight. Jordan teeted off in the first group of the day and birdieed the first to a thunderous ovation.
“I’m definitely trying to think of a better experience than this,” Jordan said afterwards, “and I don’t think I can.”
Who is Christo Lamprecht?
The South African started competing at a young age and was a top-flight junior player before experiencing a series of growth spurts from the age of 14.
“I didn’t know what was going on,” he said on Thursday. “I changed clubs every six months.”
Lamprecht was also a promising tennis player, but gave up the racquet in favor of golf early on in high school.
It has to be said that its size comes as no surprise.
“My father is 1.90 meters tall and the shortest of the last five generations,” said Lamprecht. “On my father’s side, the length is there. My grandfather was about 1.90 meters tall and my great-grandfather about 2.10 meters.”
Lamprecht’s greatness is related to his talent. It delivers easy ball speed numbers that others can only dream of. He said Thursday his standard driver covers 325 yards and he can generate 340 yards of carry when needed.
Lamprecht was recruited to Georgia Tech by coach Bruce Heppler and is a two-time All-American, including a 2023 first-team pick. His win at the British Amateurs also earns him spots at the Masters tournament and next year’s US Open.
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(Photo: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)