The last Englishman to lift the Claret Jug was Sir Nick Faldo, at Muirfield in 1992. But with six players in the top 10 at the end of day one, English fans could be forgiven for getting a little giddy.
Fitzpatrick arrived on the Antrim coast in good form after a joint fourth at last week’s Scottish Open.
He holed a 22-foot eagle putt on the second and added birdies on the short sixth and long 12th before spectacularly atoning for an errant tee shot into the ravine on the par-three 16th – called Calamity Corner because it has wrecked many a round.
He could only laugh with his caddie after flicking a wedge out of the rough and straight into the hole.
“It was just an all around good day,” said the Yorkshireman, whose best finish at The Open is joint 20th here in 2019. “I felt like I did everything well. Drove it well, approach play was good, and chipped and putted well.”
Jordan, who grew up at Royal Liverpool and finished joint 10th there after being given the honour of hitting the opening tee shot at the 2023 Open, briefly got to four under with a birdie on the 12th. Successive bogeys were followed by a birdie on the 15th in a fine opening round.
Westwood also got to four under, with a birdie on the 12th, but bogeys on the 14th and 16th holes dampened the end to his round of 69.
The former world number one, 52, only booked his place in the championship by coming through final qualifying at Dundonald earlier in July.
His wife Helen, who is also his caddie, had been planning a boat trip round the French Riviera, instead she has been lugging his bag round in the rain.
Hatton, who like Westwood, is yet to win a major, played the front nine in 33 and closed with seven successive pars to end the day one off the pace.
Rose, who was beaten by McIlroy in a play-off at Augusta in April, produced a typically gritty round with two birdies and 16 pars to join Rai.
