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Golf Monthly
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James Nursey

The Open: Daniel Brown Leads Shane Lowry As Big Names Struggle In Royal Troon Winds

Open Troon Royal Troon (Facility) Open Championship Justin Leonard Championship (Event) Adam Scott Justin Rose Tom McKibbin Jack McDonald
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Update: Open Projected Cut and Leaderboard: Day 2

Despite rain and significant wind at Royal Troon, Daniel Brown shot a stunning bogey-free 65 to be a surprise first round leader at Royal Troon.

The Englishman came through Final Qualifying earlier this month to book his spot at Troon and took advantage of it with six birdies and 12 pars in difficult conditions.

"Yeah, amazing, isn't it? I was nervous on the 1st tee, obviously it being my first major, but I hit a few nice shots early, so I kind of got settled into the round pretty quick," he said.

"I was playing well leading up to the tournament, so scores haven't really reflected it recently. But, yeah, I felt comfortable and probably a bit more calm than you normally would be with it being your first Major."

2019 Champion Golfer of the Year Shane Lowry shot a bogey-free 66 to top the leaderboard before being leap-frogged by Brown later in the evening.

Lowry reached the five-under-par mark after a fabulous approach shot into the final hole, tapping in to briefly take the solo lead.

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Justin Thomas set the pace in the early stages, posting a 3-under-par 68 in the early wave in the worst of the elements. PGA Champion Xander Scauffele sits one shot back at -2, while World No.1 Scottie Scheffler, five-time Major champion Brooks Koepka and 2022 US Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick carded opening rounds of 70 to sit four shots back at -1.

One Irishman had a great day, but another had one to forget as Rory McIlory finished the day at +7 and will have to fight to make the cut tomorrow evening. The Northern Irishman bogeyed the first hole but bounced back with his only birdie of the day on the 3rd hole. A double bogey on the infamous 'Postage Stamp' 8th hole was the start of a rotten run that included two doubles and four bogeys as he slumped to an opening round score of 78.

Tiger Woods also struggled in the wind and rain at Royal Troon, carding an eight-over-par 79 on a day his approach play and putter let him down. Many will now ask whether this will be Woods' final Open appearance, but the 15-time Major winner told media after his round that he hopes "next year will be a bit better than this year". 

US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau sighted 'equipment related' issues as he too struggled in the morning wave, posting a five-over-par round of 75.

With an average scoring average of 74.35, the opening day of the 2024 Open Championship was the fourth highest first round scoring since 2000 and with similarly tough conditions forecast for day two, more drama should be in store tomorrow.

The Open Leaderboard:

Live Updates from:

The 152nd Open has arrived as the world's best take on Royal Troon in the year's final men's Major championship.

Play gets underway at 6.35am local time here in Scotland and is set to conclude at around 9.30pm (4.30pm ET) this evening.

EXCITEMENT BUILDING ON THE AYRSHIRE COAST 

TODAY'S PIN POSITIONS 

Players looking to card a decent score are advised to get off to a hot start as the turn and back nine are considered a lot harder.

JUSTIN LEONARD PREPARING TO START THE OPEN

The 152nd Open is moments away when Justin Leonard, Todd Hamilton and Jack McDonald will tee off. American Leonard began the final round of the 1997 Championship trailing by five strokes before carding eight birdies in a stunning, six-under 65 that lifted him to 12 under and earned victory by a three-shot margin from Darren Clarke and Jesper Parnevik.

FINAL PREPARATIONS COMPLETE

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PLAY IS UNDERWAY

Leonard has teed off on the par 4 first and found the fairway as have all the opening three ball including Todd Hamilton and local boy Jack McDonald. The trio have all found the green after the prevailing wind switched around and is playing into the breeze.

UNUSUAL WIND AT TROON THIS MORNING

The prevailing wind at Troon is down off the right on the opening holes but it has switched around this morning leaving players playing into the wind on the front nine before giving players assistance on the harder back nine which promises to help scoring.

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GREENS RUNNING QUICK ON THE STIMP

The greens are running 10.7 on the stimp meter today which is faster than expected and could help the American and PGA Tour players who are used to quicker greens.

KIWI MICHAEL HENDRY TEES OFF AFTER LEUKAEMIA BATTLE

A lot of people will be rooting for New Zealander Michael Hendry after his fight with Leukaemia. He is now putting on the first where he makes his par after missing out on playing in the Open last year when he was ill. The R&A enabled him to push his entry back a year and now here he is.

NO-ONE YET UNDER PAR AS PROS STRUGGLE INTO WIND

Not a single golfer of the 12 out on the course are under par yet. They are playing into the wind, which has switched around.

FINALLY A BIRDIE!

Take a bow Ryosuke Kinoshita who has birdied the first and is the first player to do so. He hit his second from 139 yards to 34 feet, where he made the putt to lead The Open.

TOM McKIBBIN BACK TO EVEN AFER DROPPING SHOT

Tom McKibbin, the Northern Ireland prospect, is playing in his first Major today and has just birdied the third after dropping a shot on the second. McKibbin, 21,  who grew up playing at Holywood Golf Club, the same home club as Rory McIlroy,  has already won on the DP World Tour and is tipped as a big star of the future.

ADAM SCOTT TEES OFF IN 93rd STRAIGHT MAJOR

Australian Adam Scott is a one consistent player and class act. He has just teed off in his 93rd Major. He has unfinished business with the Claret Jug of course after unravelling at Royal Lytham where Ernie Els pipped him in 2012. 

Younghan SONG also moves under par

South Korean pro Younghan Song has just birdied to second to move into red numbers , level at the top. 

WHAT A SHOT FROM ADAM SCOTT

Scott, who went close at the Scottish Open last week, missed the first with his approach but has just holed out from a green side trap with a brilliant bunker shot to join the leaders on -1. 

JUSTIN ROSE UNDERWAY 

Justin Rose ,43, has just teed off after qualifying for the Open at Burnham and Berrow. Rose has excelled in this tournament before and won't have given up finally lifting the Claret Jug. He then fires his approach in close along with Francesco Molinari.

NIGHTMARE START FOR AMATEUR Jasper STUBBS

Ouch. Aussie Jasper Stubbs, an amateur, put his tee shot on the first out of bounds on the right and has had to play three off the tee en-route to a double bogey. 

BROLLIES GOING UP 

The brollies have gone up at Troon where it is now raining. This will make conditions even tougher for the pros. 

Younghan SONG out in front on his own

South Korean Song has just birdied the third to get to -2 in a superb start after putting his approach from 146 yards to 19 feet where he holed the putt in his second Open after finishing tied 62nd at Royal Birkdale in 2017 on his debut. 

Nicolai Højgaard birdies the second to get to -1

Højgaard has shown a deft early touch. 

SONG TO HAVE ANOTHER BIRDIE LOOK AT THE FOURTH

Song, 33, has just played his third to the par 5 fourth to 15 feet from 77 yards to tee up the possibility of another birdie but he misses and remains -2. 

RAIN BLOWS OVER QUICKLY

We have had some rain but it has now passed and the brollies are coming down and waterproofs coming off. 

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BIRDIE AT THE SECOND FOR Justin Thomas

American Thomas, who was in tears last year at the Open as he battled his game, moves into red numbers with a chip in birdie at the second. A far cry from last year when the then World No.20 carded an 11-over round of 82 on the opening day, featuring four bogeys, two double-bogeys and a cringe-inducing quadruple bogey on the 18th hole at Royal Liverpool.

DECENT CROWDS STARTING TO BUILD UP AT TROON

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Nicolai Hojgaard birdies the fourth 

Nicolai Hojgaard has picked up another birdie at the par 5 fourth and is level at the top with Song , whose birdie putt on the sixth burns the hole.

OPENING GROUP NEGOTIATE THE POSTAGE STAMP WITH PARS

The Postage Stamp is playing downwind today and the opening group of Leonard, Hamilton and McDonald all walked off with pars. They are followed by 21-year-old Tom McKibbin and 20-year-old Calum Scott who both birdie it. 

NICE START FOR ADAM RAI

Englishman Rai, who is a real grafter, will have a lot of support. He is doing very well on the PGA Tour this season and is a former winner on the DP World Tour. He has just opened with a birdie at the first after his putt rolled around the cup. 

ROSE WILL HAVE A GOOD BIRDIE LOOK AT THE PAR 3 FIFTH

Superb long iron from Rose on the fifth which is a 214yard par 3 into the wind. He will have a makable birdie putt from about 10 feet to get to -2.

South Korean Song is back out infront on his own 

Song has picked up his third birdie of the day at the seventh and is -3 heading to the Postage Stamp.

Is Younghan a young 'un?

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Well not really. Younghan Song is 33 years old. He has not have the most stellar golf career thus far, with two wins on the Japan Golf Tour, one of which was this year. The other was in January 2016 when he held off Jordan Spieth by a shot at the Singapore Open. He has played in three Majors before today. He finished T56 in the PGA championship in 2016 and in 2017 - last time he featured in a Major - he came T62 in the Open Championship and then missed the cut at a the PGA Championship.

He can now add to that CV that he walked off the green on the Postage Stamp as The Open leader in 2024, whatever happens from now on in. He has made birdie here, to pull away from Matt Wallace who holed out from 85 yards and the semi rough for an eagle on the par-5 4th.

Today's pin positions

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The first of the marquee groups are now on the 1st tee

It comprises Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood and Robert MacIntyre. It is an all-European trio. Europeans are doing well on the leaderboard at present.

Robert MacIntyre is aiming to become the first Scottish golfer to win The Open in a quarter of a century. Paul Lawrie's win at Carnoustie in 1999 is the last victory by a Scot. No Scot may have won the Open recently, but Scots are the second most successful nationality at the Open historically. Only Americans who have won 46 Opens from 31 golfers have won more often than 22 Scottish winners' 41 victories. Third on the list is England with 13 winners and 22 Claret Jugs.

Their opening tee shots

Rahm has found the rough, but his ball looks to be sitting up nicely. Fleetwood finds the fairway to much applause and MacIntyre also finds the fairway.

Pars all round on 1st

MacIntyre played his approach first and his shot was dead online but barely made it onto the green. Rahm had indeed got a decent break from his lie in the rough and finds the green, as did Fleetwood, who putted last. But Fleetwood's was the least impressive of the birdie putts - his looked a simple misread -but all walk off with par.

Rain is now hammering down

DeChambeau is on brand as up has gone the LIV Golf branded umbrella.

Co-leader Song is having a rough time 

He found the rough on 11 and can only hack it out across to another patch of rough on the other side of the fairway. He has had to take a provisional,

Ludvig Åberg opens with a birdie

But DeChambeau has a three-putt bogey on the 1st. Tom Kim makes par. Have to remind yourself that this is Åberg's first appearance at The Open, so far but so quickly has he come.

That eagle on 4 by Wallace

McIlroy gets a huge ovation on 1st tee

His drive finds the fairway to more huge cheers.

After Rory McIlroy won the PGA Championship at Valhalla in 2014 Jack Nicklaus said: "Rory is an unbelievable talent. I think Rory has an opportunity to win 15 or 20 Majors or whatever he wants to do if he wants to keep playing.”

But Rory McIlroy not won a Major since his triumph of 2014 at Valhalla. It is not as if he has shown an inability to win a Major, as his has four Major titles. It is not that he has lost the ability to win golf tournaments, for he has won 17 tournaments since then including two WGC ones and the Players Championship. Nor is it that he has suddenly got bad at playing in Majors, for he has 21 top-10 finishes in a Major since that 2014 win, by far the most top-tens by any player in this period.

He would have won the US Open a few weeks ago had he not missed two putts of under 3ft coming down the stretch, having had made all his 496 putts of that length or under previously this the season. Did nerves get better of him? Has the wait for a fifth Major title being so long as to fray nerves? I do not know, as there seems no logical reason why he should have had such a long barren spell considering the quality of golf he has consistently played during the past decade. But, hey, maybe that's part of the joy of the game - it's occasional capriciousness.

Triple bogey for Song on 11

That rough trouble has cost him dear. He has tumbled down the leaderboard from the top to T12 and is now level par.

McIlroy drops shot at 1st

His approach came up short of the green after it rolled back off the edge of the putting surface. His chip then came up well short and he two putted.

Poor start for DeChambeau

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DeChambeau found rough off the tee and then his par putt on 3 runs round he hole and does not drop. He is now two over par after three holes.

Bryson DeChambeau has been nicknamed the mad scientist for his seemingly insatiable quest to to find answers to every aspect of the playing of the game. This is someone who soaks his golf balls in Epsom salts to determine their centre of gravity and who sprays water and his golf balls to simulate the experience of playing in morning dew. He likes to take as many variables out of golf as far as he's able. However links golf does not yield to such treatment easily with its windswept parcels of rumpled, crumpled linksland which can confer good and bad bounces and lies almost arbitrarily and where the gusts can blow the best-laid strategies off course.

The Open is the Major in which he has been least successful. He has two US Open titles; he has been runner-up in the PGA championship and twice tied for fourth. The Masters admittedly has not been fertile grounds for him, but he did win low amateur in his debut with at T21, and had a T6 this years, But in the Open Championship his best result is tied eight; his second best is tied 33.

Song clambering back up leaderboard 

A birdie on the 13th takes him back under par for his round and into T6 after that nightmare triple-bogey on 11 when leading.

Dare one say it?

DeChambeau has just missed a putt little more than the length that McIlroy missed twice down the stretch at the US Open. Oh, I am being a trifle unfair as I see it was officially measured at 4ft. 8in. Another bogey for DeChambeau who now has three bogeys in his opening four holes. 

Thomas in a spot of bother

Leader Thomas has just struck his tee shot on 12 into the gorse, He is rummaging around his bag for another ball. His two-shot lead is unlikely to survive this hole.

We have a clubhouse leader

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It's Alex Noren, who has gone round in 69 with four birdies and two bogeys. He lies T2.

Now we have a low amateur in the clubhouse , too

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Calum Scott, one of a dozen amateurs playing this week, has gone round in level par with flour birdies and four bogeys. Scott is a Scot.

Thomas drops two shots

He found his ball in the gorse so he was able to take a drop. But he was not able to capitalise and has carded a double bogey after missing a put of 5ft. 10in. We now have a four-way tie over lead, Thomas being joined on top of the leaderboard by Justin Rose and Russell Henley and clubhouse leader Alex Noren.

DeChambeau struggling 

It is not going well for the US Open champion. He has just added a double bogey on the 6th to bogeys on 1, 3 and 4 and is five over par after six holes.

Rose gets away with it on 15 

He wasn't very accurate in getting to the green, but had the good fortune to end up on pathways cut through the grass. He cards a scruffy par and and stays in a six-way tie for the lead with Minkyu Kim, Adam Scott, Chris Kirk, Russell Henley and Alex Noren.

Calum Scott has been speaking to the press

The Scottish amateur, who went round in level par, said: "The first few were a little shaky. It was tough to settle in there for a while with the crowds out there. It was something I haven't experienced before, so that was new."

"A little uncomfortable at the start, but I managed my way around the golf course really well. Managed to hole some really good putts, some birdie putts, and I was really happy with the result."

Only two holes are averaging under par today

They are both par 5s: the 4th and 16th.

Rahm out in level par

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Jon Rahm's Major season has not exactly gone as he would hoped. His performances this year invariably or be seen in the context of this decision to leave the main tours to play in the LIV league. It might have been good for his bank balance - Forbes magazine's list of the highest-paid athletes in 2024 places him second behind only the Portuguese footballer Christiano Ronaldo - but has it been good for his golf career?

He has not won since joining LIV. On that tour his best performances have been two tied third places, but also he had never been outside the top 10 in his nine appearances, and stands second in the overall individual standings. But in the Majors his defence of his Master's title resulted in a tied 45th position and in the PGA Championship he missed the cut. He did not play in the US Open because of an injury.

Joint clubhouse leaders

Nicolai Højgaard has joined Alex Noren there on 69. The Swede made four birdies and two bogeys.

Rose the third man in on 69 

No dropped shots in his round and birdies on 3 and 7, both par 4s.

Henrik Stenson has taken to the course 

The winner the last time that The Open was at Royal Troon has just teed off. He found the fairway okay. He's wearing a bobble hat, the first player I've seen one of those today,

Hoodies on a golf course

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There are some strongly differing views on this. One camp sees it as the end of civilization; and other that is young funky and 20 and what golf needs. But I cannot see a point of a hoodie unless you actually use it the hood as a hood. Otherwise it is just an extra bit of material flapping around, so what's the point?

Justin Thomas, 31, has been wearing one today and it has not been everyone idea of elegance. In other Justin Thomas news - he has just birdied the final hole and now is the outright leader and shatters what had been a eight-way tie at the top of the leaderboard at various stages.

Jaeger bomb: the German makes eagle from the rough

Rory hits it out of bounds on 11 

This hole runs alongside the railway it seems McIlroy's ball had a train to catch. He is +3 and reloading.

DeChambeau has stemmed the dropped shots

He has made for consecutive pars. But he stands +6 and T90.

Hoodies? Or John Daly's look?

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Daly, the Open champion at St Andrews in 1995,  is coming down the final fairway and is +7.

Back to having co-leaders 

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In making his third birdie in his first seven holes, Sam Hutsby has joined Justin Thomas on three under par. Hutsby is a 35-year-old Englishman on his Major debut.

Sam Hutsby's share of the lead was short lived 

On the next hole, The Postage Stamp, he goes in a bunker off the tee. He chips out, but the ball rolls back in. He gets out second time around and stays out. Two putts later and he has gone from T1 To T7,

How's Keegan Bradley doing? 

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Well, he is +1 and in T33 after 11 holes. More attention will be paid to how Keegan Bradley does this week than might have been expected just two weeks ago. 

The upsurge in interest is due to his surprising appointment as USA's Ryder Cup captain. This is a fascinating, and somewhat left-field, appointment for several reasons, not least that 38-year-old Bradley is still very much a playing force. He is currently ranked 19th in the world. Quite possibly, he could qualify for the team as a player.

If he does that, he says he will play and combine this with the captaincy. The last time a Ryder Cup team had a playing captain was in 1963, when 34-year-old Arnold Palmer did the job. But the role of a Ryder Cup captain has expanded enormously since then with far more media and administrative duties. The Ryder Cup is a far bigger thing now than it was the 1960s. Can one man really do both roles in this age? If someone can, is that man really somebody who's got no captaincy experience or vice-captaincy experience in either the Ryder Cup or the President's Cup? Also someone who has not played in the Ryder Cup in the past ten years?

Europe had faced a slightly similar situation when Mark James had been appointed captain for the 1999 edition but then hit a run of form which opened up the possibility that he could automatically qualify for the team. James batted away questions on this at the time, but subsequently said that if he had qualified for a team he would have played and relinquished the captaincy.

Rory McIlroy said that he was approached about being playing captain of the side in the 2027 match in Ireland. But he said it would not be possible to combine both roles.

That McIlroy was even asked seems strange - and maybe he would not have been were he Irish and this Ryder Cup being played in Ireland – but it reflects that a whole raft of potential European captains have now taken themselves out of the running by joining LIV - Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Iain Poulter. The current captain, Luke Donald, only got the job last time around when Henrik Stenson defected to LIV.

Europe has reverted to a previous policy of giving captains multiple sequential captaincies, in re-appointing Luke Donald. He was a popular choice from within a team and from European golf and after his adroit captaincy in Italy. It was brave of Donald to accept the captaincy for the match in New York next year as the Ryder Cup gives a huge advantage to the home side - eight of the last nine cups and 11 up last 13 have been one by the home team. Donald could have left the captaincy on a wave of glory after Italy, but he has elected to continue and take on a far stiffer challenge. Will he tarnish his reputation as captain? Or does he see it as a chance to send it even higher by surmounting the odds and wining in foreign soil?

The captaincy of the USA side in 2025 had been expected to fall the way of Phil Nicholson, but he joined LIV. Then it is expected to be Tiger Woods, and it would have been had Tiger wanted it. But here's decided against doing it – well, at least in 2025 as many pundits are now making him a shoo-in for 2027 at Adare Manor. Woods knows he can dictate terms and that the captaincy will be his for the taking for whichever year he chooses. So why would he give himself an away match? His Ryder Cup record as a player is that he played in eight Cups and was on the winning side in one of then, and his own match tally is 13 wins and 21 losses. So perhaps he needs a Ryder Cup win as captain on his CV? Or put it another way, he really does not want to chalk up another defeat.

Justin Rose has been speaking to the press

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"Obviously we all walk off a golf course going, oh, it could have been better, But I actually felt like there was three or four out there for me today had I been a little bit warmer with the putter.

"There was probably just a bit more gratitude just to be here from that point of view. Twenty years probably-ish where you make your schedule in December and you go, ok, Masters, Open, U.S. Open, PGA, how do we plan around that.

"And this year it's like, hang on a second, I'm not guaranteed in the Open or the U.S. Open at that point, either. Had to do a little bit of extra hard work just to make sure I was here."

Rose came through Final Qualifying to play today.  Justin Rose was a member of the most recent Ryder Cup side. Although the PGA Championship invites golfers who competed in the most recent Ryder Cup ,so long as they are in world top 100 the R&A has no such policy for The Open. Rose is currently ranked 67 in the world, He  carded a bogey-free 69 today and lies T2.

Royal Troon seems to suit Thomas

DeChambeau eagles 16 

It has been a bit of a horror round for the US Open champion so far. This is his first hole under par. Having gone out in 42, he is making a better fist of the back nine, which started with five consecutive pars, then a bogey and now this eagle. He is T94.

Does Tiger really believe he can win this year's Open?

Well it seems he does. Although he spoke after the US Open about how he may not tee it up in many more Majors, he was in spiky form when asked about this in his press conference prior to The Open. When it was put to him that Colin Montgomerie has suggested it was time that Tiger Woods bring down the curtain, he replied: “I'll play as long as I can play and feel like I can still win the event. As a past champion I am exempt until I'm 60. Colin's not as he's not a past champion, he's not exempt. He doesn't get the right to make that decision. I do. When I get to his age I get to make that decision. He doesn't."

Tiger is ranked the 874th best golfer in the world according to the Official World Golf Ranking and, since winning the Masters in 2019, he has not made top 20 in any of his 13 major outings. He is 48 years old. The oldest winner of the Open Championship is old Tom Morris who was 46 years old when he won in 1867. Incidentally, his son Young Tom Morris is the youngest winner of the championship. He was 17 when he did so a following year.

Tiger has just teed off. He found the fairway, to applause and cheers. He is playing with Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele. 

Bryson DeChambeau's eagle putt

Tiger is wrapped up against the elements 

With some creaking body parts these days, he would have hoped for a warmer day. He is already on the wrong side of the draw in that he will have to play two rounds within 24 hours, as he is the half of the draw that plays Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.

How important is a good start?

Six of the nine Open winners at Royal Troon were in the top 3 places after the first round, although only one of them was actually leading. Here are the stats:

2016: Henrik Stenson – T12, five shots off the lead
2004: Todd Hamilton – T40, five shots off the lead
1997: Justin Leonard – T3, two shots off the lead
1989: Mark Calcavecchia – T25, five shots off the lead
1982: Tom Watson – T2, two shots off the lead
1973: Tom Weiskoph – 1st, ahead by a shot
1962: Arnold Palmer – T3, two shots off the lead
1950: Bobby Locke – T2, one shot off the lead
1923: Arthur Havers – T3, three shots off the lead

Across all venues, each of the last 24 Open winners have been within five shots of the lead after the opening round.

Rahm round in 73

His sole birdie was at the Postage Stamp. He is T49 of the 125 players who have started so far.

DECHAMBEAU CARDS 76

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No birdies for Bryson in his opening round, but an eagle on 16 in consolation for what was a difficult day for the US Open champion.

TROON SHOWS ITS TEETH AS THE WIND STRENGTHENS 

There were fears players would be going very low this week due to relatively soft conditions at Royal Troon given how wet the Scottish summer has been, but mother nature has put those fears to rest - at least on day one.

A 25mph wind greets the players on the short par 4 1st hole, with only one hole on the course currently playing under par - the par 5 16th.

MCILROY FINDS THE BUNKER ON 18 AS HE LIMPS TO THE FINISH

A visibly frustrated Rory McIlroy groans as he pulls his tee shot on the final hole into a pot bunker left of the fairway. He sits at +6 and will do well to finish there after his drive.

WOODS HOLES A BOMB ON THE 3RD FOR FIRST BIRDIE OF THE TOURNAMENT

What a putt from Tiger!

From off the back of the green, Woods rolls one over the contour, down the hill and into the hole for an unlikely birdie.

The putt draws a huge cheer for the gallery and a fist pump from Woods as he moves to -1.

MCILROY BOGEYS THE LAST, SHOOTS 78

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A rotten day for Rory finishes with a 10ft missed putt for par on the final hole.

He has it all to do on Friday after posting an opening round of 7 over par.

THE STATS BEHIND JUSTIN ROSE'S OPENING ROUND

The numbers behind Rose's opening 69 which has him tied for the lead at -2. 

CANTLAY BALANCES THE BOOKS WITH A BIRDIE ON 4

Cantlay holes a 25ft birdie putt on the forth to move back to even par.

A hole behind, world no.1 Scheffler cleans up a knee knocker of a par putt to remain +1 - he found the greenside bunker on the opening hole before missing a 12ft par putt. 

THREE-PUTT BOGEY FOR WOODS 

Tiger's putting at the US Open let him down, and a sloppy three putt on the forth green is a worrying sign despite the long putt holed for birdie on the previous hole.

He found the center of the green on the par 5, but his first putt travelled 10ft past the hole before he failed to make the par putt back. He drops back to even par.

SCHEFFLER AND SPIETH HIT WONDERFUL WEDGE SHOTS INTO THE 3RD

Into the wind on the short par 4, Scheffler and Spieth flight wedges from just under 100 yards perfectly into the wind. They control the spin and both finish inside 8ft - that's how it's done!

KOEPKA NEARLY MAKES AN ACE ON THE 5TH

Koepka hits the best tee shot we've seen today on the 5th so far, tapping in for birdie to get back to level par.

BIRDIES FOR SCHEFFLER AND SPIETH

The American duo do indeed clean up for birdie on the 3rd after fantastic wedge shots into the green.

Spieth moves to -1, while Scheffler move to even par.

BUNKER NIGHTMARE FOR WOODS AS HE DOUBLE BOGEYS

Woods finds the front left bunker of the par 3 5th hole and is forced to splash out backwards after his ball rests up against the lip.

He then chips to 15ft but cannot make the lengthy putt for bogey so after a hot start, Woods drops to +2.

THREE BIRDIES IN A ROW FOR KOEPKA 

Brooks makes it a hat trick of birdies on the 4th, 5th and now the 6th after rolling in a 15ft putt. He's now into the red at -1 after bogeys on the 2nd and 3rd to start his day.

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NEAR ACE FOR DARREN CLARKE AT THE POSTAGE STAMP

We're getting closer...!

POV: THE POSTAGE STAMP

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To put into context how good that shot from Darren Clarke was on the 8th, have a look at the view you would be met with for each of the five bunkers on one of the most famous par 3s in the sport.

BIRDIE CHANCES SLIDE BY FOR SPIETH AND SCHEFFLER

We know they are good buddies, and you can see them feeding off each other out there. Unfortnately, both Scheffler (E) and Spieth (-1) fail to make birdie from 14ft and 8ft respectively on the 4th. 

KOEPKA ON FIRE - MOVES TO -2

Make that four birdies in the row for the five-time major champ as he rolls in a 14ft putt on the 7th.

AMATEUR MONTOJO EAGLES THE FIRST!

Playing the opening hole in his first ever Open Championship appearance, amateur Jaime Montojo jars it from the fairway for eagle! What a start!

BUNKER PROBLEMS FOR SPIETH ON THE 5TH

Spieth finds the sand on the 214 yard par 3 and fails to get out with his first attempt. He splashes his second out to 8ft and drains the putt, but falls back to even par.

WOODS MISSES THE GREEN ON THE POSTAGE STAMP

Tiger hits a wedge so wild on the 118 yard par 3 that it flies past the greenside bunker into the thick rough, leaving a near impossible up and down...

CANTLAY HOLES OUT FROM THE BUNKER ON THE 8TH!

The bunker is so deep to the right side of the 8th that Cantlay had no idea that his shot finished in the hole, but it did! He gets back to level par.

Woods, however, did fail to get up and down. He's +5 in his last five holes and +4 for the day.

KOEPKA DROPS A SHOT ON THE 9TH

Koepka's par putt from around 10ft on the final hole of the front nine catches the lip but doesn't drop - he'll drop to -1, an impressive score on the front nine nevertheless. 

MORIKAWA STRUGGLING ON THE 8TH

The Champion Golfer of the Year from 2021 is playing himself out of this tournament by making a mess of the postage stamp.

He missed the green short before hitting a woeful chip that trickled into the green side bunker. His resulting bunker shot would then roll of the fringe and back to his feet. He'll do well to drop only two shots.

LOWRY BIRDIES 7, HITS IT CLOSE ON 8

The Irishman is on the march. 

A 10ft birdie putt for the Open Champion at Portrush drops before he fires a wedge right at the flag on the postage stamp. He'll have a 12ft putt to tie the lead at -3!

SCHEFFLER'S PUTTER LOOKS COLD

Mid-range birdie putts on 5, 6 and 7 slide by for the world no.1 - and they didn't really have a chance of dropping.

It's still a solid start for Scheffler on the front nine, but he'll be disappointed not be under par as he heads towards the postage stamp at level par. 

SHANE LOWRY TIES FOR THE LEAD!

Shane Lowry breaks the barrier to move to -3 after a birdie on the 8th!

He looks like he's in his element out there on the slow greens with the wind whipping around Royal Troon.

SCHEFFLER AND SPIETH FIND SAND ON THE POSTAGE STAMP

Scheffler's shot into the 8th spins into the green side bunker on the right, while Spieth's tee shot funnels back into the front bunker.

The 118 yard par 3 is currently the 5th hardest hole on the golf course!

PAR FOR SCHEFFLER AT THE POSTAGE STAMP, BOGEY FOR SPIETH

A delightful splash out of the bunker from Scheffler (E) comes to rest 5ft from the hole and he cleans up for par. The same can't be said for Spieth who misses a long par try after trouble in the front bunker as he drops to +1. 

Cam Young, the third of the trio, makes birdie after his approach finished around 4ft from the hole. He's now +1.

LOWRY POSTS -2 ON THE FRONT NINE

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Shane Lowry hasn't finished under par after round 1 at the open since his win at Portrush in 2019... he's on his way to changing that today.

He holes a tricky 6ft putt on the 9th for par to remain at -3 and tied for the lead. 

WOODS HITS ONE ONTO THE RAILWAY ON THE 11TH 

It's going from bad to worse for Tiger as he slices one onto the railway tracks with his tee shot on the 11th.

He's +4 and only heading one direction at the moment.

LOWRY MAKES GUTSY PAR ON THE 10TH

After missing the fairway off the tee and short siding himself greenside with his second shot, Lowry can only pitch onto the green and leave himself 20ft putt for par. 

No stress though - he rolls it into the middle of the hole to remain in a tie for the lead and delivers a big fist pump to boot.

GRILLO DOUBLE BOGEYS THE POSTAGE STAMP

Sitting one off the lead at -2, Emiliano Grillo finds the same bunker so many others have to the right of the green today and fails to get out with his first attempt.

He then splashes out and misses a short bogey putt to fall to even par.

That's now 18 double bogeys or worse on the 188 yard par 3 today!

SCHAUFFELE TIES THE LEAD WITH MONSTER BIRDIE PUTT

Xander hits a birdie putt from 35ft on the 11th and it never looked like it would finish anywhere but the bottom of the cup!

He joins Lowry alongside Justin Thomas at -3. 

He looks in complete control out there... as he often does. 

GRILLO RESPONDS TO DOUBLE BOGEY WITH GREAT BIRDIE ON THE 9TH

How about this for a response from Grillo.

After a double on the postage stamp and falling from -2 to even par, he fires a mid-iron into 3ft on the 9th.

He'll tap in for what will be only the second birdie on that hole all day.

SOME OF THE BEST PHOTOS FROM DAY ONE AT ROYAL TROON

LOWRY BIRDIES AGAIN TO TAKE THE SOLO LEAD!

Shane Lowry's putter is on fire!

A gutsy par save on the 10th is followed by draining a 18ft birdie on the 11th!

A mini-shootout is developing between Lowry and Schauffele, with Xander one hole behind the Irishman.

SCHEFFLER ENDS PAR STREAK WITH A BIRDIE ON THE 11TH

A 15ft birdie putt for Scheffler drops on the railway hole for his first birdie since the 3rd hole.

He breaks out of the pack at level par as the wind continues to die down at Royal Troon - there could be opportunities to come for the late wave on the closing stretch.

BURMESTER HOLES OUT OF THE BUNKER ON 16 FOR EAGLE

One hop and into the hole for Dean Burmester on the 16th for an eagle three from the front left bunker!

A nice stroke of luck for the South African considering the speed the ball was travelling at, not that he'll care...

LOWRY WITH THE PUTTER = CAN'T MISS

He missed the green short left on the 12th and Lowry left himself some work to do after leaving his chip shot around 12ft short of the flag.

No problem for Shane today though, as he drains another clutch par putt to remain in the solo lead.

SCHAUFFELE DROPS A SHOT ON THE 13TH

A poor tee shot on the 200 yard par 3 left Xander with a tricky up-and-down from the rough behind the green.

He played a nice chip shot to around six feet, but was heavy handed with the par putt, hitting it through the break and lipping out on the high side.

He'll drop to -2, two behind Lowry.

SPIETH MOVES BACK TO LEVEL PAR

It's a birdie for Jordan Spieth on the 13th as he rolls in a 15ft putt to move back to level par for the day.

LOWRY INCHES AWAY FROM A TWO SHOT LEAD

How did that not drop?

From behind the 14th green, Lowry putts up from the fringe and the ball looks destined for the middle of the hole before sliding left at the last moment.

It was a close call, but Lowry maintains his one shot lead nonetheless - but 32 players remain within five shots of the Irishman.

HAVE A LOOK INSIDE THE CALLAWAY TOUR VAN AT THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

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Ever wondered what it looks like inside one of the many manufacturer tour vans at professional tournaments? 

Well, Callaway were nice enough to invite us in for a look.

DANIEL BROWN GETS TO -3

He hasn't had a great season, but Dan Brown is climbing the leaderboard quietly...

He's bogey free through 10 holes, and moves to -3 after a 25ft putt drops to begin his back nine.

CLOSING BIRDIE FOR MICKELSON AS HE POSTS +2

After a delightful approach into 2ft on 18, the runner up the last time we came to Royal Troon taps in for birdie to post a two-over-par round in the opening round.

Not a bad day at all for Phil.

LOWRY MISSES A GOOD LOOK AT BIRDIE ON 15

With probably his worst putt of the day, Lowry's 14ft putt for birdie on 15 slides by without looking at the hole.

11 pars and four birdies so far for Shane, with the easiest hole on the course up next...

WOODS MAGIC FROM THE BUNKER OF 16

+6 over the day, but at least we're seeing flashes of the old Tiger at Royal Troon...

ANOTHER BIRDIE PUTT MISSES FOR SCHEFFLER 

So close, but yet so far...

Another mid-range birdie putt slides by for the world no.1, this time kissing the left lip on the way past on the 15th as he remains -1.

DANIEL BROWN MOVES TO -4!

How about this...?

Daniel Brown holes a putt for considerable distance on the forth hardest hole of the day, the 11th, to jump to -4.

He ties the lead with Shane Lowry!

LOWRY FORCED TO SETTLE FOR PAR ON 16

His second shot into the par 5 from 295 yards caught the front bunker, meaning Lowry could only splash out to around 20ft because of the steep face.

The putt falls short and Lowry has to settle for par - he remains at -4.

KOEPKA SHOOTS -1 AS SPIETH AND SCHEFFLER HUNT EAGLES ON 16

Up on 18, Brooks Kopeka taps in for a par to finish the day at -1.

Back at 15, two fabulous three woods from both Spieth and Scheffler from around 290 yards finish around 15ft and 8ft from the hole respectively - they'll both have excellent looks at eagle on a hole where there has only been three all day.

EAGLE FOR SPIETH, BIRDIE FOR SCHEFFLER ON 16

Spieth drains his 15ft eagle putt on the par 5, but Scheffler is forced to settle for par as his 8ft attempt misses on the high side. 

Spieth jumps to -1, while the Masters champions moves to -2.

TIGER WOODS FINISHES ROUND ONE WITH +8 SCORE OF 79

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Will this be Tiger's final Open Championship appearance?

We'll see him tomorrow, but Woods will have serious work to do to make the weekend after posting an 8-over-par 79 on day one...

THE STATS BEHIND TIGER'S OPENING 79

Total Stokes Gained: -4.57 - 146th in the field

SG off the tee: +0.22 - 68th in the field

SG approach: -2.61 - 144th in the field

SG around the green: +0.09 - 76th in the field

SG Putting: -2.28 - 146TH in the field

Two key areas let Woods down today, but what is next for the 15-time major champion?

MORIKAWA POSTS +2 ROUND OF 73

Not the best day for the champion from Royal St Georges, but not the worst either considering the tricky conditions.

LOWRY HITS BEAUTY INTO 18 WITH THE CHANCE TO MOVE TO -5

Sensational from Lowry, who looks set to post a bogey free round on day one at Royal Troon.

The question remains - will it be a a 67 or a 66? 

He's got a 5 footer from birdie on the final hole after a wonderful approach shot.

MATT FITZPATRICK POSTS -1 ROUND OF 70

It hasn't been the easiest year for Matthew Fitzpatrick, but he responds with a solid round of one-under-par while playing alongside leader Shane Lowry.

The third of the trio, Cam Smith, has had a day to forget though as he birdies the last to shoot 80 for his opening round.

BIRDIE FOR SHANE LOWRY, HE POSTS 66 AND RETAKES THE SOLO LEAD

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What. A. Round.

Five birdies, zero bogies. That's how you start a major championship - especially in these conditions.

Birdie on 18 also means Lowry retakes the solo lead!

SCHEFFLER GETS A NICE BREAK, APPROACH SHOT FINISHES 1FT FROM THE FLAG ON 18

Scheffler has had some rotten luck today on the greens - he's hit some great putts but little to nothing has dropped.

His luck has turned around on 18, clearing the front left bunker by inches and getting a lovely bounce in tight to the flag.

He'll tap in and finish the day under par with an opening round of 70.

SCHEFFLER TAPS IN FOR BIRDIE, SPIETH PARS TO SHOOT 71

That's that confirmed, tap in birdie for Scottie to finish under par.

Spieth two-putts the final green to finish one back at level par.

ICYMI: LOWRY BIRDIES THE FINAL HOLE

This is how the 2019 Champion Golfer of the Year finished his day at Royal Troon.

TIGER REACTS TO HIS OPENING 79

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Defiant words from Tiger.

THE POSTAGE STAMP: HOW THE PROS FARED ON DAY ONE

If you've been following the live blog throughout the day (thank you if so), you'll have heard us to refer to a specific bunker on the 8th hole quite a lot.

That's because 56 competitors hit their tee shots into it on a par 3 measuring only 118 yards!

MIN WOO LEE SYMPATHIZES WITH BUNKER RAKER

MACKENZIE HUGHES SHOOTS -2

There's not many fans out there left, but those who remain cheers on the Canadian as he rolls in a birdie putt on the final green to shoot a nice opening round of 69.

The only player remaining on the course near the top of the leaderboard is Daniel Brown - he's -4 thru 15 holes.

DANIEL BROWN TO SIX-UNDER

WHAT A ROUND FROM DANIEL BROWN

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