Towering amateur Christo Lamprecht is walking tall as the biggest shock name atop the British Open leaderboard among a surprise international cast list after the first day of the 151st Championships at Hoylake.
Lamprecht, a 22-year-old, 203cm beanpole from South Africa, is the first amateur to lead after the first round of the Open since Englishman Tom Lewis in 2011. He shared top spot thanks to a brilliant 66 at Royal Liverpool, alongside local hero Tommy Fleetwood and Argentina's Emiliano Grillo.
With France's Antoine Rozner, Spain's Adrian Otaegui and American Brian Harman just a shot behind, there were six different nations at the top of the leaderboard - and not one of the game's superstars at the really sharp end, including Australian champ Cameron Smith.
Among the top 10, only the recent US Open winner Wyndham Clark and world No.8 Max Homa, both in the five-way tie for seventh after 68s, could be considered to be among the pre-tournament favourites. Most of the really big names struggled to show their best in fairly benign scoring conditions after a week of wind and rain.
Rory McIlroy, the last Hoylake winner nine years ago, finished level-par with a dramatic finish capped by a glorious up-and-down from a deep pot bunker at the last, while world No.1 Scottie Scheffler and PGA winner Brooks Koepka won't be unhappy with their one-under starts.
But Smith has work to do after carding a one-over 72, while Collin Morikawa recorded a 73 and Jon Rahm's face looked like thunder after his three-over 74.
Pride of place, though, went to Georgia Tech student Lamprecht, who'd won the Amateur Championship at Hillside, 25 miles away from Royal Liverpool, last month.
The striking figure reckoned he was "surprised but proud" to lead after firing seven birdies in his round, including three in his first six, finishing with a short birdie putt at the last.
"I earned my place on top of the leaderboard. It's not a cocky thing to say," he said. "I just personally believe in myself, and stepping on to the first tee box if you're a professional or a competitor, you should be believing that you should be the best standing there."
Lamprecht says he comes from a long line of giants. "My dad is 6 foot 4 and he's the shortest of the last five generations. My grandfather was like 6-8 and great grandfather like 7," he said. "It runs in the family, definitely."
But the real giant he follows, he says, is former champ Louis Oosthuizen, with whom he shared his memorable round on Thursday.
"That helped a lot to my score, having someone I know very well and who's a ginormous mentor for me. It kind of helped me feel a little bit more at home and at ease."
Fleetwood, born 30 miles up the road at Southport, was carried on an emotional tide of support from local fans at Royal Liverpool. Friday marks the first anniversary of the death of his mother Sue and his round of 66 featured six birdies.
Grillo, seeking to become the first Argentine since Roberto de Vicenzo to win the Open - also at Hoylake in 1967 - drained an astonishing 51-foot birdie putt at the last to complete the leading trio.
Among the faltering luminaries, none had a worse day than two-time PGA winner Justin Thomas, who recorded an 82, capped by a horror show on the final par-five when he ran up a quadruple-bogey nine - the worst score of the day - after driving out of bounds.
