Things could have gone better for Australia’s Ryan Peake on his major championship debut, but the ex-bikie still managed to have an unforgettable experience playing alongside fellow left hander, and his idol, Phil Mickelson.

Peake, who spent five years in prison for serious assault after being a member of a West Australian motorcycle gang, was feeling “pretty flat” after shooting a six-over par 77 in the first round of The Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

Although, the New Zealand Open champion did finish his round by pocketing a valuable piece of memorabilia from Mickelson.

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The pair got off to a slightly awkward start with the six-time major champion introducing himself to the 31-year-old from Perth when Peake insisted he did not need to do that.

“I don’t think he needs to introduce himself; I was well aware of who he was,” Peake said.

“But obviously I was nervous. I wouldn’t say nervous because I was playing next to Phil. It’s just, I guess, your first major and things like that. But I’ve just got to get better at that.”

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Any tension evaporated as the two left-handers “chit-chatted” throughout the round about family and golf.

Peake said that the LIV Golf star was not giving him any advice out on course.

“I would have known I was in a bad place if he’d come over and started offering me help,” Peake said.

Even though Peake and Mickelson will tee off together again in the second round, the Australian was not going to miss the chance to secure a memento from his first day as a major golfer.

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“But yeah, I grabbed his putter off him a few times and had a little feel of it. That’s the OG; that’s the one from the Masters. There was a couple cool things,” Peake recalled.

“Like I said, his caddie gave away golf balls as we were walking off the tee, and I yelled out, ‘what about me?’, and he had a laugh, thought I was being sarcastic, and he said, ‘are you serious?’, and I said, ‘no, I’m deadly serious’. I said, ‘can you sign a glove as well?’.

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“He’s your hero growing up. My own boy is out here this week and he loves him as well. I’m not going to ask him on the 1st tee, but I’ll ask him after the round.”

For Peake, the positives were ultimately outweighed by the negatives of his performance.

A birdie on the infamous par 3 16th dubbed ‘Calamity Corner’ was a highlight, but eight bogeys, including back-to-back bogeys on the opening two holes and four dropped shots on either nine, left a sour taste in the mouth.

“I know everyone is going to look at it and say you take the experience in and stuff like that, but obviously very disappointed with the round. Not what I want,” Peake said.

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“So pretty flat at the moment. Was pretty flat out there as well. I just got beat up out there.

“I felt like I did a couple things all right and kind of didn’t get rewarded for them. But I was like Father Christmas out there; I was just handing out presents to the golf course. I just kept throwing them away, and it was just very frustrating.

“But obviously I’ve still got tomorrow and try and do something to make this cut. But the whole experience sort of thing, that’s something that I’ll look on further down the track.

“I’m here to compete. I’m in a competitive mode. So yeah, I was pretty flat.”

Cameron Smith and Adam Scott were the best of the nine Australians with one-over par rounds of 72.

Smith, the 2022 Open champion, fought back strongly with two birdies on a bogey free back nine after a staggering start to the day.

Teeing off before 7am local time, Smith appeared as if he was still asleep on the first tee with a complete mis-hit only travelling roughly 140 metres.

It was an opening tee shot regularly seen at local golf courses, but not at a major.

Talking about committing to swings,” Smith said with a chuckle.

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“We warm up on the range, and it’s kind of down out of the right and you kind of lead yourself into a bit of false sense of security, and then you get there, and it’s like, yeah, all right. Really need to step up here.

“I think I tried to hit that one underground and almost missed it. Not the greatest start to a major championship I’ve ever had, but from there it was actually all right.”

PORTRUSH, NORTHERN IRELAND – JULY 17: Cameron Smith of Australia reacts on the first hole during day one of The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 17, 2025 in Portrush, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

The back nine was far better as Smith earned shots back at the par 5 12, and like Peake, at ‘Calamity Corner’ to help his chances of making a cut at a major for the first time this year, and for the first time in five starts.

“Definitely a bit of a confidence boost today on the back nine for sure. When stuff’s not going through our way sometimes, like I said, it can get really away from me. I did a really good job of hanging in there, a bit of Queensland spirit,” Smith said.

“No, but it was really good. Looking forward to tomorrow. It’s a tough test. You need to hit every shot perfect. A bit of luck of the Irish out there too wouldn’t hurt.”

Scott, meanwhile, reached the turn at even par but then made back-to-back bogeys at 10 and 11.

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The veteran, who played in the last group at the final round of the US Open, responded immediately with consecutive birdies at 12 and 13, but was left disappointed by a bogey at the last.

“It is handy having birdies. I’d like to have some more stretches like that,” Scott said.

“It’s always an equation at the majors of how much do you press, how much are you going to go and try and hit it close. It’s really hard here at a links when the wind is blowing and you’ve got to hang it way up the other side of the course and try and have it come back.

“Sometimes you can’t get it close. So how aggressive you play is always the thing, and when you go for it and pull off a few, birdies go a long way.

“I’m not out of it, but I’m going to have to have a good morning tomorrow. Hopefully the weather cooperates.”

PORTRUSH, NORTHERN IRELAND – JULY 17: Adam Scott of Australia reacts on the 12th green during day one of The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 17, 2025 in Portrush, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

Jason Day and Marc Leishman are a shot further back after they both shot two-over par rounds of 73.

Day clawed back a shot on the back nine with two birdies after reaching the turn in three-over, but was scathing in his assessment of his own display.

“My process out there was actually quite horrific,” Day said.

PORTRUSH, NORTHERN IRELAND – JULY 17: Jason Day of Australia reacts on the 18th green during day one of The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 17, 2025 in Portrush, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

“Usually I have a landing — like a finish spot, and just the communication wasn’t good on my half. Brucey was trying his hardest to get me kind of to steady the ship a little bit. Unfortunately, I just felt a little rattled out there, just because I wasn’t hitting a lot of fairways and just trying to get in play. We all put on the clock. So we’re trying to race a little bit.

“After I got onto the back side, I started kind of focusing a little bit better, get the process right. Unfortunately, I three-putted the bloody par-5 at 12. I played the par-5s terrible today, just not in position.”

Jason Day of Australia walks off the 1st tee after playing his shot during the first round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)Source: AP

Like Scott, Leishman walked off the course angered after dropping a shot at the last.

“I felt like I hit some decent tee shots and then couldn’t really get it close. It was really hard to get it close. A few shots you felt like you wanted to run off of those bunkers there and you couldn’t,” Leishman said.

“I found that a little difficult, but it was the same for everyone. Definitely hard to get momentum. Sort of had a couple of birdies there on, what was that, 14, 15. Good par on 16. Unfortunately, like I said, pissed off at that on the last. That’s golf. Try to fight back tomorrow.”

PORTRUSH, NORTHERN IRELAND – JULY 17: Marc Leishman of Australia tees off on the first hole during day one of The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 17, 2025 in Portrush, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

Leishman’s Ripper GC teammate Lucas Herbert appeared set to be the leading Australian as he was one-under halfway through his opening round before dropping four shots on the back nine.

Herbert finished the day with a three-over par 74, including back-to-back bogeys at the 17th and 18th.

Min Woo Lee ended the first round at the same mark.

Lee also stumbled late, making a trio of bogeys at 15, 16 and 17.

Australian PGA champion Elvis Smylie shot a four-over par 75, while former top amateur Curtis Luck, who qualified at the Australian Open but has hardly played any tournament golf due to back and neck injuries, endured a tough nine-over par round of 80.