Aussie rookie living it up at The Open

Jokes with Tiger Woods, rounds with Justin Thomas and Padraig Harrington and now a dream British Open start for starry-eyed young gun Jake McLeod.

One Australian rookie is really living it up at Royal Portrush.

"Yeah, having a good time,' McLeod told AAP ahead of his major championship debut on Thursday.

"Turned up on Sunday night and got out Monday afternoon for a practice round and Justin Thomas and Charley Hoffman were on the tee. That was pretty cool."

Even cooler was playing a hole with Tiger on Tuesday.

"He was just on the first tee. We walked down for our tee time and he said 'boys, I'm just going to play the first. Do you mind if I join you? Then I'm going to shoot off to the 13th'," McLeod said.

"No worries. It was really good. He made a funny comment on the first tee. I was putting sunscreen on and he said 'I haven't had to use that in 40 years'."

McLeod wound up his preparations on Wednesday with a round with Ireland's two-time Open champion Padraig Harrington, who also made the first-timer feel right at home.

"He was a super bloke, a really nice guy. He was just telling me a few things here and there and I really enjoyed it," McLeod said.

The Townsville-born 24-year-old booked his spot in The Open field as the 2018 Australasian Order of Merit winner.

After three straight missed cuts in Europe, the North Queensland Cowboys fan has modest hopes.

"Just to play four rounds would be nice," said McLeod, a former Queensland amateur teammate of US PGA Tour star Cameron Smith, another of Australia's six-strong contingent teeing up in Northern Ireland.

"This is my first major and all that sort of stuff so I'm just really happy be here and my game feels really good at the moment.

"Even though the results the last few weeks haven't been great, I feel like I'm quite close so hopefully this is the week that I lob up and go well."