All the latest news and updates on day two at Hoylake
The official Open leaderboard
A good tale about bad golf
Email: john.ashdown@theguardian.com
1.38pm BST
Scott looks disgustedly after an approach that skews away into the rough close to the scoreboard at the 16th. Manassero drops a shot at the second to fall back to four under.
1.36pm BST
Jim Furyk, four under overnight, fizzes his approach at the 1st yards to the right. Watson shows him how it's done with a beauty that skitters 20 feet past the pin. Meanwhile, Mickelson has tapped his long birdie putt an inch wide at 17.
1.33pm BST
Shane Lowry, suffering miserably for most of his round, has stopped the rot with a birdie at the 11th he's gone bogey, double bogey, bogey, bogey, birdie.
1.29pm BST
The 64-year-old Tom Watson, he of 2009 Open heartbreak, steps up onto the first tree and whistles his drive down the fairway. His playing partners Jim Furyk and Darren Clarke follow suit.
1.27pm BST
Francesco Molinari rolls in a 10-foot birdie putt on the seconds to return to level par for the day and four under for the tournament. On the second his compatriot Manassero sends his tee-shot into the rough stuff and leaves himself struggling to make par with a chip out that falls well short of the green.
1.25pm BST
On the par-three 15th, Rose, with the longest of the birdie putrs, is just a foot or two short. Dufner slides his effort to the right. Only Scott leaves himself anything approaching an awkward par putt, but he confidently taps in. Pars all round.
1.22pm BST
Bubba Watson rolls in a birdie putt from the fringe of the 16th to go to three over, which as it stands is just the wrong side of the cut.
1.15pm BST
Adam Scott gives himself an excellent chance of saving par at the 14th a dinky little chip that rolls to within a couple of feet at the pin. Justin Rose is just wide with a monster par putt at the same hole and drops another shot. He's back to one under. Jason Dufner, meanwhile, has rolled in his birdie putt to go to level par. And, to wrap up the news from the 14th green, Scott has indeed rolled in that par putt to stay at one under.
1.12pm BST
Afternoon all. John here, taking brief charge while Scott heads off for a spot of lunch and a quick sports massage. Phil Mickelson, trousers a-flappin' in wind that is beginning to howl, sends an iron shot short of the green on the 16th. Bubba Watson, also on the par-five 16th, sends his second shot off into the long grass.
1.05pm BST
Another short putt missed by Bubba, who did well to chip to five feet from miles off the side of the green at 15. He's +4, and unless he tears up the two par fives coming up, going home tonight. A hot start meanwhile by Robert Karlsson, with birdie at 4, is totally wiped out by a double bogey at 6. He's -2. Not a lot of upward movement going on.
And with the wind getting up, I'm off to take a little shelter. Back in an hour, perhaps carrying an inside-out umbrella. In the meantime, here's John Ashdown to guide you through the storm ...
12.59pm BST
Jaidee couldn't make his birdie putt on 15, and now he's dropped another stroke at 16. Having climbed as high as -3 today, he's now back to level par. Bubba has just missed the 15th green, the shortest hole on the course, by a fair distance to the left with a wedge. The wind is causing all manner of bother. Meanwhile Scott has mishit his chip into the bank to the side of 13, and can't drain the putt from the bottom of it into the cup to save his par. These gusty conditions seem to have knocked a few players off their mental equilibriums as much as anything. That's another shot slipping away from Scott, who is as far down as -1 now.
12.54pm BST
Poor Shane Lowry's suffering a shocker. He followed that double bogey at 7 with another at 8, and now a bogey at 9. He's out in 40 strokes, five over par for his round, and he's plummeted down the leader board to +1. How quickly it can all unravel. See also Adam Scott, who has dumped his tee shot at 13 into the thick stuff to the right of the green. The flag's close to that side, he's got a hill to negotiate and not much green to work with. And finally, see also Bubba, whose rollercoaster ride is firmly heading downwards at the moment: that bogey at 12, and now another at 14. He's +3, and as things stand, would be on the plane back home tonight. You sense, by the insouciant look on his coupon, that he doesn't give a flying one.
12.47pm BST
Scott at 12, and not for the first time today, he sends his approach straight through the green. The wind playing havoc, I'll be bound. He can only send his third to eight feet, and misses the par putt. His flat stick has let him down today. He's back to -2, alongside Rose, who pars. The wind's really getting up, actually, which could cause the pre-tournament favourites problems as they reach the trickier section of the course. If it's getting up, they'll hope it stays up for the later starters. Should it drop, as it's forecast to, they could end the day a fair bit behind. Links golf, though, what's the point in predicting the weather?
12.35pm BST
George Coetzee apart, none of the early starters have made any inroads into the upper echelons of the leader board. His 69 though has been matched by Gary Woodland, who birdies the last to move to level par for the tournament. Coetzee, Woodland and DA Points can all boast the lowest rounds of the day so far, but expect that to be bettered soon enough, especially as the wind drops a little and the course lets its guard down. Meanwhile, in lieu of hot golf chat, here's Simon McMahon bringing open journalism full circle, back round to where it started in the early 2000s, which was basically bored sports fans telling everyone what they were having for lunch. "Currently eating a 'Commonwealth Pie' for dinner, which is basically a regular meat pie with haggis added," he reports. "Only in Scotland, eh? Maybe in September I'll have a 'Ryder Cup Pie' which will be a regular meat pie with haggis added. Might even wash it down with some Irn Bru and a bit of shortbread. Hamburger Helper it ain't." Mmm, Helper!
12.27pm BST
Scott's putting, that absurd rake on 7 aside, has been pretty poor today. He misses his birdie effort on 11, leaving it well short. Par. Rose is very unlucky not to see his drop, the ball dying, one drop of energy short of toppling in. Dufner doesn't hit his either. Three pars, after three delicious approaches! Dear oh dear.
12.25pm BST
Lowry busies himself making a pig's undercarriage of 7. Short of the green, he's left himself a long par putt uphill. And he doesn't quite hit it. That'll be a missable six-footer for bogey. And he can't make it. Back down the leader board to -2 he goes. Up on 11, Scott, Rose and Dufner pepper the flag. They'll all have eight to ten footers for birdie. Meanwhile the last we heard of Jaidee, he was making birdie on 11 and climbing to -3. He's since bogeyed 12 and 14 to drop back to -1, but has just eased a short iron into the par-three 15th, and will have a 12-footer to make good one of those mistakes.
12.19pm BST
Bubbacoaster latest: a birdie on 10, and then a lovely iron guided into 11, which leads to a birdie putt that's curled in from left to right from 12 feet. He's +1. And now hacking out from deep rough down the left of 12. He's down the back of the green, facing a difficult up and down. And sure enough, he doesn't make it, because it's time for a bogey. Disregard the bit a couple of lines above: he's +2 again. You wouldn't have him any other way.
12.13pm BST
That chip-in on 9 has reignited Justin Rose's challenge! Because here he is at the front of 10, doing it again! His bump and run up the hill disappears into the hole for eagle! He's suddenly -2 for the championship! If Hoylake had a roof, it would now have no roof. Meanwhile Scott can indeed advance his ball onto the green, but he was right up against that lip and had to blast it miles into the air, to ensure escape from the bunker. He's miles past the pin, and needs his two shots to secure par. And a birdie for the third member of this group, Jason Dufner, his first of the day, and he's back to level par.
12.07pm BST
Lowry slamdunks his tee shot at 6 into the bunker front left of the green. That'll be a test. But what an escape! A soft splash out to three feet, and he's saved his par. Lowry's links knowhow should earn him a couple of shots this week. Scott, up on 10, also finds sand, the wind taking his 3-iron off to the right and into a greenside bunker. And he's right up against a massive face. He'll do very well to get that onto the green; in fact he'll almost certainly have to play it out sideways. A birdie here, at a relatively easy hole which has been giving up eagles, looks something of a pipe dream right now.
12.00pm BST
Coetzee gets relief from the grandstand on 18, and then chips a delicious third into the middle of the green! He'll have an uphill 10-footer for a closing birthday birdie! And he rattles it in! He'd played the first 15 holes so well, he really didn't deserve to end as miserably as he was threatening to. And after back-to-back bogeys on 16 and 17, that'll cheer him up immensely! He signs for a 69, and ends the round at -5 for the tournament, currently tied for second place with Matteo Manassero, who like the leader Rory McIlroy a shot ahead, has yet to hit a ball in anger today. Brilliant! The top of the leader board, then:
-6: McIlroy
-5: Coetzee (F), Manassero
-4: Lowry (5), Koepka, E Molinari, F Molinari, Furyk, Garcia
11.55am BST
Coetzee is really suffering on these closing holes. He's just hoicked his second at 18 towards the grandstand on the left, perhaps feared of the OB down the right. Good luck with that. On 8, Westwood misses a short bogey putt and drops back to +3, his last sliver of relevance shed. But on 5, good news for Lowry, who has a look at eagle from 25 feet, but settles for a birdie. He reclaims the shot he dropped at the previous hole, and he's -4 again!
11.52am BST
A wild tee shot on 9 has cost Jason Dufner yet another stroke. A third bogey on the front nine, and he's out in 38, +1 now for the tournament. Then, to some shock, Adam Scott misses his short birdie putt, the ball staying high on the right. What a terrible putt, as risible as the one on the 7th was majestic. He remains at -3. Meanwhile speaking of wild tee shots, here's Mickelson, who is forced to give up his first drive as lost. Playing the provisional he split the fairway with, he lifts what becomes his fourth shot to ten feet, then rolls in the par putt! What a save! That is sheer brilliance. Sheer brilliance which admittedly followed a manically inept drive, but that's kind of why everyone loves Phil. He walks off wearing a grin as wide as the Mersey, still at +1.
11.47am BST
Coetzee takes a careful two putts over a ridge on the 17th green, and he's dropped his second shot in two holes. He's back to -4. Also moving the wrong way is Jaidee, who drops one on 12 to slip back to -2. But better news for Justin Rose, who had dropped a shot on 7 and left his tee shot at 9 short of the green: he chips in from the front, and he's back to level par!
11.44am BST
Coetzee's round is in danger of coming to pieces. He's in thick rough down the left of 17, and can't quite hack out with his second, only advancing the ball 30 yards or so. He's managed to punch his third into the centre of the green, though, from where two putts will limit the damage to one dropped shot. On 8, Scott nearly drains a long birdie putt. He's back on his game, and on 9 sends a smooth tee shot to four feet, a great chance for birdie that'd get him back to -4 and level par for the day. Meanwhile DA Points signs for a 69, which means he's the early clubhouse leader and causes the BBC's Peter Alliss to observe: "I'm not sure anybody knows what DA stands for." Upon being informed that it stands for Darren Andrew, he sighs: "Well, that's nothing to be ashamed of ..."
11.37am BST
Such a shame for the birthday boy Coetzee. He rattles his birdie putt three feet past the hole at 16, then yips the return par putt. It stays out, and he drops back to -5. Aw. He walks off the green still smiling, which is nice to see. A solid par-par finish and this will have still been a fine day's work. Meanwhile some trademark trouble for Mickelson on 10, who has hoicked his drive into the bushes down the left, and is forced to clack a provisional down the middle of the track. Why couldn't he have done that first time around?
11.34am BST
A spot of trouble for Shane Lowry out of Elbow at the back of 4. He bumps a lovely chip up the bank and along the green to a few inches from the cup. That means he'll only make bogey on a hole he was busy making a mess off, but slips back to -3. Mickelson pars 9, but so nearly holed a downhill 20-footer for birdie. Out in 34, but that could have been so much better. But a birdie putt for Jaidee on 11, and he's moving up to -3!
11.25am BST
Coetzee's third to 16 is pin high, and he'll have a 20-footer across a fairly flat green for yet another birdie. "Hoylake may yet be host to a top three finish by contemporary literary greats if Leonard, Lahiri and Coetzee do the business," notes our resident academic Ian Copestake, who had been scouring the leader board for a Carlos Williams, but to no avail.
11.21am BST
Scott's third at 7 only just stays on the back of the green. The wind's not helping, but that's a misjudgement in anyone's book. But never mind! He drains the 30-foot right-to-left par putt, and stays at -3! That's an absurd mix of brilliance and daylight robbery! The amount of time he misses from short range, only to sink monsters like that. But Mickelson can't save his par on 8; he's back to +1, a shame given the move he was threatening to make.
11.17am BST
Great Players Hacking It Around dept. Scott in some deep filth down 7. He's forced to punch out, and take his medicine. Kaymer's round is falling apart: another short par putt missed, this time at 9, and he's +2 now. That's an appalling end to his front nine: double bogey, bogey, bogey. And a collector's piece on 8, as Mickelson doesn't commit to one of his trademark flop shots! He gives up halfway through, as he attempts to throw a ball up the bank from the back of the green, and it rolls back to his feet! You'd not see that again if you asked him to repeat the shot 100 times. A very strange game, golf. It's why we all love it, and hate ourselves, in equal measures.
11.11am BST
Coetzee is on fire! He's just clacked his tee shot at the short par-three 15th to a couple of feet! That's surely a birdie that'll give him a share of the lead at -6! And it is. He taps in. Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear George, happy co-leadership of the Open to yo-ooooo-oooou In fact, he's technically in the lead, because he's 15 holes closer to the clubhouse than McIlroy, who doesn't go out for another three-and-a-bit hours. Meanwhile I think I might have mentioned Lee Westwood's opening drive, then forgotten all about him. That's because his round so far has been the dictionary definition of Meh n. , having dropped shots at 2 and 4. He's +1 for this tournament now, and not a factor this week. That's not going very far out on a limb, is it.
11.05am BST
Scott just doesn't seem quite on it today. His tee shot at 8 is carried off by the wind, towards some very long stuff over the back of the spectators down the left. He might have stopped just short of the proper nonsense, but time will tell. All pars so far, incidentally, for Scott's playing partner Justin Rose. He remains at level par, a very vanilla tournament for the English star. For how long remains to be seen, as he's followed Scott into a world of pain with his drive. Jason Dufner, struggling so badly today, splits the middle of the fairway. That's golf for you.
11.02am BST
Thongchai Jaidee picked up three strokes in the first five holes, then suffered back-to-back bogeys at 7 and 8. So nice to see him bouncing straight back at 9, rolling in a 25-footer to go out in 33. He's -2. Meanwhile a fast start by Rafael Cabrera-Bello, who came in late yesterday with a two-under 70, and has birdied the opening hole today; he's -3 for the tournament through 3.
11.00am BST
Mickelson misses his birdie chance on 7, as everyone feared he might. Prodded out to the left, a very uncertain effort from six feet. What a shame after that sensational iron into the green. Kaymer misses from three feet on 8, to drop another stroke, his third in two holes. That blistering start: all for nothing. He's +1 again. Meanwhile Scott gets up and down from the front, sinking a missable five-footer for his par. He stays at -3.
10.56am BST
Scott is a club short with his tee shot at the par-three 6th. He's lucky not to end up in a very unpleasant pot bunker. Up on 7, could Lefty be on one of his trademark charges? Eagle and birdie already today, after an early bogey, and now he's guided a low iron into the green, straight at the flag, leaving himself an uphill ten-footer for birdie. And it's a very happy birthday for Coetzee, who birdies again, this time rolling in a 15-footer after finding the heart of 14! He's in second place, and so it's probably time for our first leader board of the day:
-6: McIlroy
-5: Coetzee (14), Manassero
-4: Lowry (1), Koepka, E Molinari, F Molinari, Furyk, Garcia
10.49am BST
The big move of the day so far has been made by George Coetzee. After a bogey at 2, he's birdied 5 and 10, and now raked one in from the very back of the 13th green. He's -4 for the tournament now, tied for third. It's his 28th birthday today, so happy birthday to the young man. Scott races his eagle effort six feet past the hole at 5, but knocks in the return, and he's reclaimed one of the shots he's dropped this morning, rising again to -3. Shane Lowry, the singer from the band Elbow, is out, by the way. He sent his tee shot at the opening hole into the rough down the right, but found the middle of the green with a fine second. He couldn't make the 15-foot birdie putt, though, and remains at -4.
10.44am BST
The Bubbacoaster hits a rusty patch of track. Battered by the wind on the par-three 6th, he doesn't look comfortable over his putt, and prods a uselessly weak effort left of the cup. That's a bogey, and he's back to +3. Scott batters a wind-assisted 362-yard drive down the 5th, and wedges into the centre of the green. He'll have a pretty decent chance of eagle from 25 feet. And Kaymer gets up and down from the front of 7 for double bogey, and that's him slipping back to level par.
10.38am BST
Kaymer has opted to take a penalty drop. He's moved back in line, behind the gorse. He's got over 200 yards to go, and needs to get that ball up over the thicket. He's going to attempt a Seve-esque massive hook, setting the ball way out to the right, avoiding the greenery in front of him, and hoping to move it back left towards the green. He batters the cover off the ball, but can only find further oomsk to the front right of the green. He punches out, but he's hit four now, and not even reached the putting surface. All that good work undone with one loose tee shot.
10.30am BST
Scott saves his par on 4 with a lovely bump up the green to a couple of feet. He remains at -2, and has at least put a stop to that run of bogeys. Jason Dufner can't get up and down from the back himself. He was left with a six-footer for par, and failed to hit it, tapping in from one millimetre. A second bogey of the day, and he's back to level par for the tournament. He was blemish free until the 18th yesterday, and now he's effectively dropped three shots in six holes.
10.27am BST
Scott is all over the shop right now. Greens missed from the middle of the fairway at 2 and 3, and now he's just sent his ball skittering straight through the dancefloor at 4. Rose, by comparison, was in all sorts of bother in the thick stuff down the right, but he finds the middle of the green. Up on 5, Mickelson knocks his second to 12 feet, then rattles in the eagle attempt! With his wedge! OK, he used his putter, and you knew full well I was lying. Still, what a turnaround by the defending champ! He's suddenly level par for the tournament! And meanwhile the Bubbacoaster keeps trundling along. He's in high-quality filth to the right of 5, hitting three into the green. No bother, he wedges pin high to ten feet, then knocks in the birdie putt. He's only +2 now, and heading very much in the correct direction, seemingly with not a care in the world.
10.22am BST
Kaymer has shot out of the blocks today, but he could be in an awful lot of bother down 7, having lashed a drive into gorse bushes down the right. He's not lost his ball, and apparently there's an escape route, albeit not in the direction he'd like to go. Could be interesting. Rose nearly lost his ball, too, down the right of 4, but his caddy finds it eventually. Nothing's quite clicking for the 2013 US Open champ yet this week. Meanwhile David Brown is worried about Lefty: "Since Phil Mickelson won The Open last year, his putting has gone to the dogs. I haven't seen too many top pros miss as many from 3 or 4 feet as he does. I heard someone the other day say they think he basically has the yips and that no great golfer who got the yips has ever managed to get their career back on track afterwards. We could be watching the slow death of a great career." To be fair, the man four-putted last year at Muirfield, but still came through in the end. Still, never the most solid on the greens, not when compared to other multiple major winners, anyway. Maybe he should start knocking everything in with his wedge. There's an argument suggesting that's what he should have done from the get-go.
10.13am BST
Scott has started poorly. His approach at 2 wasn't great, leading to that bogey, and now he's whistled his second at 3 through the back. He can't get up and down, a weak chip leaving him too much to do with a putter he can never truly depend on. And all of a sudden that's a second bogey on the bounce, and he's back to -2. Meanwhile there have been back to back birdies for Bill Haas, who has just drained a long one on 6. He's -3 for the tournament suddenly.
10.04am BST
An eagle effort for Kaymer on 5, straight across the green. From 25 feet, he leaves it out on the right, but that'll be a birdie, and he's -2 for the tournament now, making a move after a very shoddy opening round. He really hasn't been far away from five straight birdies! His ball control has been nothing short of majestic in this wind. Pinehurstesque. Meanwhile on 10, George Coetzee hits the pin with a greenside chip. That'd have been eagle had it dropped; he settles for birdie, and he's -3 now.
10.01am BST
A spot of trouble for Scott on 2, who is in a deep pot bunker to the left of the green with little room to play with. But he punches a delicate shot of no little genius onto the front edge of the green, using the bank to draw his ball towards the nearby flag. But he misses the short par putt, pushing an awful one right of the hole! He's back to -3. Very poor. His playing partner Jason 'The Somnambulist' Dufner misses from close range to drop a shot, too; he's back to +1. Also very poor. To be fair, it's still his bedtime. Meanwhile another birdie for Jaidee, the Thai bombing his second at 5 straight through the green, then getting up and down to move to -3. He's suddenly in the top ten! And shot of the day so far by Mickelson, who is in awful trouble down the right of 4, but lifts a stunning wedge ten feet past the hole, the ball biting and spinning back to within a dimple of dropping in. That'll be one of the most unbelievable birdies you'll see all week! He's +2 again.
9.54am BST
It's just not happening for the defending champion Phil Mickelson, this week or indeed this year. He shot 74 yesterday, and there's another shot shed, this time on 3, after he failed to knock in a simple enough 12-footer for his par. He's +3. His playing partner, fairground ride operative Bubba Watson, is through the back of the green in filth. He flops high onto the green to six feet, then knocks in the par saver. He stays at +3. He's only taken three putts so far. You can't take your eyes off him, he's an astonishing, totally unpredictable player. His game's really not suited to British seaside courses, or these conditions, and yet I can see him suddenly falling in love with links golf late in his career, and somehow scrambling to a valedictory Open win at approximately 43 years of age. What a story that would be, huh? OK, Mickelson's already told that tale, but like anyone else with a mental age of four years, I enjoy a bit of repetition.
9.41am BST
Lee Westwood, who battled his way to a one-under 71 yesterday afternoon, tees off, and hits his drive straight down the middle. Up on the green, Scott has eased his second at the opening hole to ten feet. That'll be a decent birdie chance. but he leaves his putt high on the right, and that's an opening par. He'd have taken that when he was watching his drive whistle towards nonsense. Meanwhile another birdie chance goes by the wayside for Martin Kaymer, this time on 4. If his putter was hot, he could have had the perfect start this morning. As it is, he'll settle for the fact that his approach play is showing signs of the consistency he displayed while shooting those 65s at Pinehurst.
9.34am BST
Adam Scott's out. His 68 yesterday was every bit as good as Rory McIlroy's 66, battling with the stronger winds as he was forced to. The conditions aren't going to be his friend today, either, so he deserves a little good fortune. And he gets it, sending a poor drive downwind at the opening hole and into the long stuff down the left. But instead of snagging into trouble, it takes a wonderful 90-degree kick to the right, and rolls onto the fairway! Scott smiles, knowing full well that he's got away with that one. Up on 2, the Bubbacoaster continues flying around Hoylake at pace. After that errant drive, he's in the centre of the green, but facing a long putt for par. Sure enough, in it rattles. He's got that could-not-care-less look on his boat, which augurs well for fun fun fun. He could end today with a score in the mid 60s or the high 70s. He could. Not. Care. Less. Good old Bubba.
9.27am BST
Another big putt from Gary Woodland, this time on 6. A birdie to follow his eagle on the previous hole, and he's suddenly level par for the tournament. He's the hottest property out on the course right now. Thongchai Jaidee is pushing him close, though. He birdied the opening hole, and has just fired his second at 4 right at the flag. That's a tap-in for a certain birdie, which will move him to -2 for the tournament. Martin Kaymer was only a couple of joules of energy away from a third birdie in a row on 3; he remains at -1. He's got four stars on his shirt, by the way, a nod to the German national association football team, I'll be bound.
9.23am BST
Rollercoaster latest. "Travelling yesterday so missed the HBH," is Simon McMahon's miserable excuse. Presumably he'd popped out to buy a dog to feed his homework to. "Catching up this morning, though, and already it's looking like an Open for the ages. McIlroy, Scott, Sergio, Tiger, MacPherson-Flitcroft, D A Points. Whatever happens over the next three days, I think we're in for a hell of a ride." Yep.
Exhibit A: Hiroshi Iwata. Last we heard of him (8.52am), he'd just eagled 10. Well, he's now bogeyed 11 and 12. He's only carded two pars today! The rest have been bogeys, birdies and eagles! He's -1 for the tournament, moving the wrong way again.
9.15am BST
That doesn't mean there aren't scores out there for those with the moxie to go out and get them. The US Open and Players champion, Martin Kaymer, had a fairly shaky first round, a one-over 73, but he's opened birdie-birdie, his approach to the 2nd particularly striking, a wedge clipped to a couple of feet and knocked in. He's -1. Also heading in the right direction: Gary Woodland, who moves to +1 with a 40-foot eagle putt at 4.
9.11am BST
Rory's luck is in, it would seem. Not only is the wind up, there's been a shower of rain this morning. But that's all expected to clear around lunchtime; the first-round leader isn't out until 2.27pm. He'll get the best of the weather again, according to the forecasters, who admittedly add a caveat that there's a
100% chance they're making it up as they go along
20% chance of light showers later on.
8.52am BST
It was a fine day for the Irish yesterday, with Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry shooting low. It was a fine day for the Italians, with Matteo Manassero and the Molinari brothers bothering the business end of the leader board. And it was a fine day for the USA, because, well, this is golf, isn't it. But perhaps the performance of the Japanese was the most impressive: Koumei Oda, Hideki Matsuyama and Yoshinobu Tsukada all shot three-under 69s, with Hioshi Iwata a further stroke back. Iwata is the only one of that lot out at the moment, and he's having a whale of a time on the rollercoaster rides. He opened with a back-to-back bogeys, then followed them up with three birdies on the bounce. A couple more shots handed back to the field meant he reached the turn in one-over 36. No matter: an eagle at 10 has just finally put him in credit for the day, and he joins his three compatriots at -3 for the tournament.
8.38am BST
The big guns aren't out yet, so let's start the day, rather appropriately, at the bottom. Poor old Bryden Macpherson, a 23-year-old professional from Melbourne based in Athens, Georgia, home of REM, had an absolute nightmare yesterday. He shot an 18-over-par round of 90, which included this Maurice Flitcroft style run after the turn: 7-6-8-4-7. Or, to put it another way: double bogey, double bogey, quadruple bogey, bogey, triple bogey. It was the worst score at an Open since Ian Baker Finch hit rock bottom at Troon in 1997, shooting a career-ending 92. It was only five shots better than the worst Open card of all time in the modern era, Guy McQuitty's 95 at Turnberry in 1986. But McQuitty didn't quit - his story is here - and neither, to his eternal credit, has Macpherson. Problem is, he's started badly today, too: 5-5-5-5. Or, to put it another way: bogey, bogey, bogey, bogey. An admittedly unlikely 21-over-par 93 today would see him break McQuitty's record for worst aggregate performance in modern times. (McQuitty shot 87 in his second round.) Here's hoping he can avoid that ignominy. Macpherson might not exactly be in form, but after that torrid battering yesterday, he could have feigned injury and scuttled off. Instead, he's wandered into the lion's den today with neither whip nor chair. He's a braver man than most of us will ever be. God speed, Bryden Macpherson. Card a couple of birdies, will you?
8.22am BST
The Friday tee times:
6.25 am: James McLeary, Matthew Southgate, Hiroshi Iwata
6.36 am: Roberto Castro, Victor Riu, Tyrrell Hatton
6.47 am: Dong-Kyu Jang, Nick Watney, Shawn Stefani
6.58 am: D.A. Points, Y.E. Yang, Brendan Steele
7.09 am: Scott Stallings, Pablo Larrazabal, Bryden Macpherson
7.20 am: George Coetzee, Charley Hoffman, Michael Hoey
7.31 am: Kevin Streelman, Brendon De Jonge, Brendon Todd
7.42 am: Gary Woodland, Sandy Lyle, Kevin Stadler
7.53 am: Brandt Snedeker, Graham DeLaet, Cheng Tsung Pan
8.04 am: Boo Weekley, Danny Willett, Ashun Wu
8.15 am: J.B. Holmes, Jonas Blixt, Chris Kirk
8.26 am: Miguel Angel Jimenez, Bill Haas, Thongchai Jaidee
8.37 am: Martin Kaymer, Jason Day, Zach Johnson
8.53 am: Webb Simpson, Jamie Donaldson, Yusaku Miyazato
9.04 am: Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Bubba Watson
9.15 am: Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Russell Henley, Billy Horschel
9.26 am: Adam Scott, Justin Rose, Jason Dufner
9.37 am: Ryo Ishikawa, Lee Westwood, Keegan Bradley
9.48 am: Kevin Na, Joost Luiten, John Senden
9.59 am: John Daly, Tommy Fleetwood, Ross Fisher
10.10 am: Mark Wiebe, Rafael Cabrera Bello, Paul Dunne
10.21 am: Oliver Fisher, Chesson Hadley, Shane Lowry
10.32 am: George McNeill, Richard Sterne, Chris Stroud
10.43 am: Gregory Bourdy, Jin Jeong, Matthew Baldwin
10.54 am: Justin Walters, Rhys Enoch, Billy Hurley III
11.05 am: Christopher Rodgers, Scott Jamieson, Byeong-Hun An
11.26 am: David Howell, David Duval, Robert Karlsson
11.37 am: Dawie van der Walt, Cameron Tringale, Masanori Kobayashi
11.48 am: Chris Wood, Matt Jones, Bernd Wiesberger
11.59 am: Erik Compton, Hyung-Sung Kim, Marc Leishman
12.10 pm: Koumei Oda, Ben Martin, Anirban Lahiri
12.21 pm: Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Brooks Koepka, Edoardo Molinari
12.32 pm: Branden Grace, Freddie Jacobson, Ashley Chesters
12.43 pm: Justin Leonard, Ben Curtis, Paul Lawrie
12.54 pm: Francesco Molinari, Ryan Moore, Thorbjorn Olesen
1.05 pm: Matteo Manassero, Bradley Neil, Mikko Ilonen
1.16 pm: Thomas Bjorn, Patrick Reed, Stewart Cink
1.27 pm: Tom Watson, Jim Furyk, Darren Clarke
1.38 pm: Luke Donald, Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia
1.54 pm: Harris English, Paul Casey, Matt Every
2.05 pm: Tiger Woods, Angel Cabrera, Henrik Stenson
2.16 pm: Charl Schwartzel, Padraig Harrington, K.J. Choi
2.27 pm: Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama, Jordan Spieth
2.38 pm: Ian Poulter, Dustin Johnson, Jimmy Walker
2.49 pm: Graeme McDowell, Matt Kuchar, Louis Oosthuizen
3.00 pm: Stephen Gallacher, Hunter Mahan, Victor Dubuisson
3.11 pm: Nick Faldo, Todd Hamilton, David Hearn
3.22 pm: Ryan Palmer, Brett Rumford, Tomohiro Kondo
3.33 pm: John Singleton, Peter Uihlein, Marc Warren
3.44 pm: Paul McKechnie, Kristoffer Broberg, Juvic Pagunsan
3.55 pm: Rhein Gibson, Brian Harman, Hyung-Tae Kim
4.06 pm: Chris Hanson, Oscar Floren, Yoshinobu Tsukada
8.16am BST
We've been here before. In more ways than one. Well, two ways. Just the two ways. But neither of them came to any good. Number one: a Northern Irish player shooting an opening-round 66 at Hoylake. Step forward Graeme McDowell, back in 2006, who followed it up with a 73, then a 72 and finally a 79 to finish tied 61st out of the 71 players who made it through to the end. It was good while it lasted.
Number two: Rory McIlroy leading the Open after the first round. He achieved that back in 2010, shooting a major championship record 63 at St Andrews. In foul weather on the second day, he carded an eight-over 80. A costly business, because those eight strokes cost him a shot at the title: he still ended up tied for third, shooting 69 and 68 over the weekend, eight shots behind the eventual winner Louis Oosthuizen.
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