Wood claims Turnberry felt 'dead'

The 138th Open, Turnberry
Date: 16-19 July
Coverage: Live TV coverage on BBC Two, Online and the Red Button, live on Radio 5 Live and text commentary online on all four days

By Ged Scott
BBC Sport at Turnberry

Chris Wood said the stands at Turnberry were "half full"

Chris Wood has hit out at the size of the crowd and perceived lack of atmosphere on the first day of the Open Championship at Turnberry.

The Bristol golfer, who was the top amateur at last year's event, told BBC Sport: "The whole place seemed dead.

"I remember at Birkdale last year there was not a spare seat in the stand, but this was like playing in a library."

Wood produced a level-par round of 70 to leave him six shots off the leader, Miguel Angel Jimenez.

Admission prices and accessibility have been said to have affected attendances.

It was as easy as it's ever going to be at Turnberry but I just didn't play well enough

Chris Wood

But Wood, who produced such a memorable performance to finish fifth and win the Silver Medal a year ago, was still disappointed with the effect it had on both crowd noise and numbers.

"I remember going off late in the afternoon last year and you couldn't get a seat in the stands," said Wood.

"But, when I teed off at 10.15, the stands were only half full."

Wood claimed he was not happy with his first day performance.

"It was as easy as it's ever going to be at Turnberry," he said. "But I just didn't play well enough."

Wood is one shot behind one of his lesser-known West Country neighbours, Bath-born Steve Surry, who shot an encouraging one-under 69 on his Open debut.

Playing in the last group of the day, Surry, who is attached to Wiltshire's Cumberwell Park, picked up bogey fives at the third and the ninth on the front nine.

But sandwiched in between was a run of three straight birdies between the sixth and the eighth which took him to the turn in one-under 34.

He then bogeyed 13 to go back to level, before a birdie four at the long 17th restored him to red numbers.

Surry has a far more civilised tee time for his second round on Friday (1110 BST), while Wood finds out about life again as one of the later starters, due off at 1526.