Christo Lamprecht shares lead at Open Championship after 66 - ESPN

HOYLAKE, England — Amateur Christo Lamprecht might be the only one at Royal Liverpool Golf Club who isn't surprised his name is at the top of the leaderboard with England's Tommy Fleetwood and Argentina's Emiliano Grillo after Thursday's opening round of the 151st Open Championship.

Lamprecht, 22, had seven birdies and two bogeys while carding a 5-under 66 in his first round played in a major championship. The Georgia Tech senior qualified for The Open in June by winning the British Amateur at nearby Hillside Golf Club.

«It's pretty surreal,» Lamprecht said. «It's nice to see a lot of work behind the scenes pay off. It's something I haven't dreamt of yet, but it's pretty cool.»

Lamprecht is only the second amateur to have at least a share of the co-lead after the first round of The Open in the past 50 years; Tom Lewis was the other one in 2011, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information. Bobby Jones, who also played at Georgia Tech, was the last amateur to lead after the first round in an Open at Royal Liverpool, in 1930.

«He's playing great golf,» said 2010 Open Championship winner Louis Oosthuizen, who played with Lamprecht on Thursday. «The length he hits off the tee, there [are] a lot of bunkers not in play, which is a big advantage. But you still need to hit it [on a] pretty good line off the tee. Yeah, he's a good player.»

Oosthuizen should know. Lamprecht has been participating in his golf academy in South Africa since he was about 14. The foundation provided him with coaching and other resources that helped him land a scholarship to Georgia Tech.

At 6 feet, 8 inches, Lamprecht is believed to be the tallest player to ever compete in The Open. He said his father is 6-4, his grandfather is 6-8 and his