LIV star Brooks Koepka hits a near hole-in-one at the Royal Troon course

Brooks Koepka has yet to win The Open Championship despite his glittering record in golf. But if his play on the fifth hole is any indication, 2024 might be the year he adds the Claret Jug to his trophy cabinet. He nearly made a hole-in-one as part of a really strong opening round.

The fifth hole is par-three, which is generally the only sort of hole that players can hit an ace on. At over 200 yards, though, it's not an easy hole to make. But Koepka made it look very easy.

The LIV Golf star blasted his tee shot towards the green, avoiding the rough and all other obstacles in the process. His shot landed and rolled straight over to the cup. The ball continued rolling as the crowd cheered on for one of the best shots of the evening.

Unfortunately, the ball's roll didn't carry quite far enough. It bounced and rolled very far, but the ball finally did come to rest less than a foot away from the cup. It left Koepka with a very makeable birdie putt to bring him back to even.

This started Koepka's momentum shift. He moved to even on the day after the fifth, and then proceeded to shave two strokes off his score in the next three holes. Through ten holes, he is tied for eighth with a score of one-under. It has been an impressive opening for the LIV Golf star. He's chasing Justin Thomas, who finished his first round at three under.

Royal Troon is a challenging course, and the first round has already shown that those competing will be in for a tough week. The bunkers and hole designs are not easy to navigate. Nevertheless, Koepka has done well so far.

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Betting expert loves Brooks Koepka's chances at The Open

Brooks Koepka is firming to be one of the early favorites at the Open Championship. He's in good form and has already hit the arguable shot of the first round. That is in keeping with the early expectations. He was a favorite and one betting expert loves the value on his odds.

Brooks Koepka has played well at The Open so far (Image via Getty)

Betting expert Patrick McDonald, per CBS Sports, thinks Brooks Koepka's 25-1 odds are fantastic value. He cited Pebble Beach as the closest American course to Royal Troon and noted that Koepka was the runner-up there at the 2019 U.S. Open. He also had another top-10 in his only other start at the course.

This has proven to be true so far. Koepka is expertly navigating the difficult course and could be in store for a very good weekend if he can keep it up.