Making his first competitive start in more than a decade, Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee opened with a 5-over 77 Thursday at The Senior Open.
Chamblee, 56, turned in 1 over but made bogeys on Nos. 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17 before a closing birdie. When he finished his round, he was 12 shots off the lead at St. Andrews.
“I wasn’t hitting it very good,” he said. “I don’t think I hit two or three shots today that were actually anything like I envisioned.”
Full-field scores from The Senior Open
Chamblee earned his spot in the field by taking co-medalist honors in a qualifier at Scotscraig on Monday, a day after completing his on-air duties for the 147th Open at Carnoustie.
This is Chamblee’s PGA Tour Champions debut. He last played a PGA Tour event in 2008 at Pebble Beach.
“It was a struggle,” he said. “I didn’t hit it very good, and I kept leaving myself 100-foot putts. It’s a little bit hard to get back in the rhythm of tournament golf. It felt like old times, but my game wasn’t there and I was trying not to be frustrated all day.”