2022 British Open golf today: round 1 | Tiger struggles, Young leads, Rory Mcllroy second

Thanks for joining!

That's all from us today. Thanks for joining our Day 1 coverage.

We'll be back with all the action from St Andrews on Friday. 

We're off to watch some John Daly from 1995!

Dinwiddie in the dark

We're wrapping up at St Andrews but before we go, England's Robert Dinwiddie has birdied the 18th!

Dinwiddie finished his round at 10.10 pm, posting a superb 67 to end the day in a tie for 3rd.

Woods hoping for 66 on Friday

Tiger Woods has given his thoughts on his opening six-over-par 78.

"It feels like I didn't really hit it that bad," said Woods.

"Yes, I did have bad speed on the greens, yes.

"But I didn't really feel like I hit it that bad but I ended up in bad spots. Or just had some weird things happen. And just the way it goes.

"Links is like that. And this golf course is like that. And as I said, I had my chances to turn it around and get it rolling the right way and I didn't do it.

"Looks like I'm going to have to shoot 66 tomorrow to have a chance," he added. "So obviously it has been done. Guys did it today. And that's my responsibility tomorrow is to go ahead and do it," he continued.

Rahm and Spieth finish up

Jon Rahm cuts a frustrated figure as he misses for birdie on 18 and finishes his round with a 1-over 73. Rahm then threatens to snap his putter over his knee. The Spaniard may struggle to sleep tonight.

Jordan Spieth starts his tournament with a 1-under 71.

Si Woo Kim chips in on 9

Si Woo Kim produced this earlier today. That's one he'll not forget!

Tiger ends the day with a 78

Over six hours later, Tiger’s poor start to The Open comes to an end.

He began his round on Thursday with a double bogey after hitting his second shot into the Swilcan Burn, the course’s famous stream, and then missed a short bogey putt.

The three-time champion has ended the day with a 6-over 78.

78 is his joint-worst round in an Open but he'll dust himself down and be ready for another round tomorrow. 

GOLF

The Open: LIV Golf defector Poulter claims not to have heard jeers

Ian Poulter claimed not to hear any of the jeers and boos that greeted him on the first tee at the 150th Open Championship.

The Englishman received a frosty reception from some at St Andrews following his defection to LIV Golf, and he wildly hooked his first shot.

But Poulter – whose three-under 68 included a stunning 160-foot eagle on the ninth – insisted he was not aware of any of the negativity surrounding him.

Told that there were in fact some audible critics when he was announced on the tee, Poulter said: “Didn’t hear one.

“I actually thought I had a great reception on the first tee, to be honest. All I heard was clapping."

Read more

Incredible Poulter putt

Ian Poulter with a huge eagle putt (160ft) on the ninth hole of the Old Course at St Andrews on the first day of The Open.

Magic McIlroy

Rory McIlroy was delighted after his opening round 66.

"Yeah, fantastic start. Just sort of what you hope will happen when you’re starting off your week. Yeah, I mean I did everything that you’re supposed to do around St Andrews. I birdied the holes that are birdieable. And I made pars at the holes where you’re sort of looking to make a par and move to the next tee. And didn’t really put myself out of position too much," he said.

Scheffler's round in numbers

That's how the world's number one golfer right now went round St Andrew's today. He's out at 3.25 a.m. Eastern Time tomorrow. 

Spieth at -1

Jordan Spieth had an eagle chance at the 14th, but missed it on the left side. He's at -1. 

Tiger nabs a birdie

Woods got his tap in for a birdie at 14 and he's five over. Four holes to reduce the damage somewhat and the cut, at even par or one under would still be doable.

The wind at St Andrews...

...can of course be brutal and has ruined the rounds of many, but as of now it's died away as evening sweeps across these hallowed fairways and the shadows lengthen. That could give those still out on the course a chance of some decent scoring. 

The group on four under

There are currently 10 players on four under, though only two left out on the course. 

Back in the clubhouse (some likely out for their fish and chips by now) are:

Barclay Brown (amateur)
Kurt Kitayama
Lee Westwood
Brad Kennedy
Viktor Hovland
Talor Gooch
Dustin Johnson
Scottie Scheffler

And Sahith Theegala and Robert Dinwiddie are at the 12th and 11th respectively. 

Tiger tight turn around

Tiger Woods isn't getting long between his first and second rounds. He probably won't finish till 9 tonight, and then after media commitments, his post round physical treatments (ice bath etc) and dinner he won't get to bed much before midnight. He's then back on the course at 9.58 a.m. tomorrow morning (4.58 a.m. Eastern, set those alarm clocks). 

Scottie Scheffler finishes on four under

Scottie Scheffler ended up with just the par at the 18th, meaning he fails to break into the top three, finishing on four under par. He'll be a bit disappointed with that, having gone out in four under and only managing one birdie on the back nine, at the 14th, which was negated by his bogey at 13th. 

That Scheffler shot at the 18th

Of such narrow margins is golf made...

Spieth now one under, Rahm level. 

Scheffler plays onto the 18th and NEARLY holes it. He'll make his birdie for five under for the round and level with Cameron Smith tied for third.

Tiger in action

He's still got a few shots...but alas he's three-putted at the 13th and he slips to six over. A rueful smile from the champion here in 2000 and 2005. He also won the Open at Royal Liverpool in 2006. 

Dustin Johnson gets his birdie at the 18th to finish on four under, where there's a big bunch of players. 

What is gorse anyway?

With Spieth getting into bother with the gorse, some have been asking what this plant is. A native to Scotland, you'll often find it in the rough on golf courses and it's usually a nightmare for golfers who get involved with it, as it's thorny, meaning getting anywhere near it is painful, and tough, so you can't just hack through it to get your ball out. It’s a large evergreen shrub with spiky thorns and is, curiously, a member of the pea family.

As Michael Murphy wrote in his book Golf in the Kingdom: "It is said by some to grow as well in the fields of hell", and indeed, getting involved with the gorse is often a descent into hell for any hapless golfer who strays into it. 

Scottie Scheffler stuck on four under

The New Jersey man had a chance of a birdie at the 16th to break into the top three. But he underhits it and remains at four under. 

Spieth v Gorse: round three

Spieth is tangling with the spikey vegetation yet again, his third encounter with the troublesome, for golfers at least, autochthonous shrub in four holes. This time though he gets lucky as his drive goes into a thicket but just pops out, leaving him with a tough chip, but at least not needing to brave the needles. 

Tiger misses his putt for a birdie at the 12th that would have been his third in four holes, though he bogeyed the 11th. He's on five over. 

Daly's Day

John Daly, who won the Open in 1995 in a play-off victory over Costantino Rocca, had an up and down day to finish on one over, with six bogeys and five birdies. He also pushed Justin Thomas for most outrageous outfit of the day.

Finally out! And straight in!

South Korea's Si-Woo Kim had a big old celebration with his caddie, Brian Vranesh, after holing directly from the road hole bunker after failing to get out on his first attempt.

Open Leaderboard at 6.40 p.m. BST / 1.40 ET

-8: Young (F)
-6: McIlroy (F)
-5: Smith (F)

There's a bunch on -4, including the amateur Barclay Brown, Lee Westwood, Kurt Kitayama who are all finished, and Dustin Johnson and Scottie Scheffler, who are both at the 14th. 

Spieth v ice cream

The other Spieth moment doing the rounds on social media is him taking on a Mr Whippy ice cream. Another tough battle for him. 

Bogey for Spieth at the 10th

Gorse 1 Spieth 0. The American golfer's tee shot at the 10th landed on top of a gorse bush and he decides not to play it, as it was going to be impossible to get at right-handed. So he takes a penalty drop, and ends up with a bogey. 

Slow play causing issues

The play is being continually held up, and it's definitely affecting the rhythm of the players, as well as the narrative of the day. The rounds are taking six hours, which is far too long. The problem appears to be logistics round the course rather than slow play from the players. 

While it's still bright daylight, it's cold up here on the Fife coast and the players are struggling to keep warm. 

Spieth v Gorse Bush

Word coming in that Jordan Spieth has been in a tangle with a gorse bush. We'll have word on the winner soon. 

He was -2 at the 9th.

Cameron Young highlights

Young was on superb form this morning (though he said he didn't feel it had been an easy round afterwards - imagine what he might have done if it had been?!) and has set a score, an eight-under 64, you wouldn't expect anyone to beat today, although there are still a fair number of golfers out on the course, with the 4.16 p.m. tee-off group still at the fifth at the moment.

Check out the highlights of Cameron's round: 

Tasty from Matsuyama

Hideki Matsuyama finished at -1, but this was a lovely golf shot.

TIGER IS ROARING

Back-to-back birdies for Woods! He is back people! And the crowd loves it

Two excellent approaches from Woods, finally!

After some struggling time and a disappointed Woods audience, we finally see the Woods, Fitzpatrick, and Homa group pick up some shots with the latter rolling in for a birdie. And just before Woods followed suit, we saw a smile at the legend's face that brought back some faith  to everyone at the course.

Woods finally closes out a tough front nine with a birdie!!

He's back to five-over-par. Let's go WOODS!!

Golf

Who are the LIV players competing in the 2022 British Open?

Only one player on the course today has won more majors than Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods. And even though it's been quiet around the three-time Open champion as he battles to make the cut, it's even quieter around Mickelson. 

Mickelson has been nearly invisible in a place that’s all about celebrating history and its figures. The reason? He's one of 23 players who has left the PGA Tour to join the new golf Saudi-backed league LIV. Find out who those players are at this week's historical course.

Another double Bogey for Woods

Team Woods, Fitzpatrick and Homa are really not doing well. 

The three-time Champion double bogeys the 7th hole and Woods is now six-over-par for his round. With 11  holes remaining, Woods will want to keep up his positive spirits to limit the damage.

Open Leaderboard

Cameron Young -8

Rory McIlroy -6

Cameron Smith -5

Barclay Brown (amateur) -4

Kurt Kitayama -4

Lee Westwood -4

Brad Kennedy -4

Viktor Hovland -4

Scottie Scheffler -4

They are all finished for the day.

GOLF

Why do players yell “fore!” in golf and what does it mean?

Charlie Kane should have had a read of this.

Rory McIlroy drive breaks spectator's hand

A drive from Rory McIlroy, who finished on 6 under, broke Charlie Kane's hand. Kane does social media for the PGA and admits he should probably have paid attention to the shout of Fore! from McIlroy.

Loyal fans waiting for Woods' success

It's quite eerie now, crowd has gone more quiet as Tiger Woods continues to struggle on the course.

 Now 3-over-par, hopefully Woods finds a way to shake off the rust and give some energy to his loyal fans at the course (especially the ones with Wood's face on their shirts).

Woods struggles to find another; Homa is just happy he's with the GOAT

While Tiger Woods drops another for a bogey at the 3rd that slips him to +3, John Maxwell Homa, who's Max Homa as we know him, is just amused to be able to play with the GOAT. Ahead of the British Open, the 31-year-old American posted, "I’m playing with Tiger Woods at the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews. Hey golf gods, we’re even. Can’t believe this is real and ya it’s corny but who cares I’m playing with the freakin goat #golf #PVO

McIlroy: "I did that"

While Woods drops another shot on the third hole with a bogey five in a tricky start, Mcllroy is in second spot.

McIlroy's partners Xander Schauffele and defending champion Collin Morikawa are at three under and even par respectively. The Irish player says he's "thinking well" to stay in the tournament. 

McIlroy told Sky Sports: 

"Everyone knows on this course that you need to make your score going out and I did that. I started off with a bonus [birdie] on the first! I was trying to get it within a couple of feet so it was a real bonus when I saw the putt drop! he continued saying that he's driving the ball well and "once I put myself on the fairways I am giving myself chances as my iron play is a little bit better than it has been. I am putting well and seeing shots well around the greens, thinking well.

"I think the most important thing around here is thinking well. If you can do that, you will keep yourself in the tournament."

That's more like Woods!

Woods is slowly making his way back. 

His approach spins back on to the putting surface - which was still a long one, but he gets it close and taps in for par.

Matt Fitzpatrick follows suit but Max Homa drops a shot.

Rory saves par

Mcllroy took four fours and ran to the 18th happy" on his first attempt, saving par with a confident putt. That's literally exactly what he said earlier this week!

Did you know?

On another note, now would be a good moment to share a fun fact as the Open Championship at St. Andrews continues to bring us action.

Did you know that the 5th hole on The Old Course is named Hole O’Cross? This par-5 has eleven fairway bunkers. Now can you guess where the name comes from...?

Here it is... having to aim your tee shot way left - across the 14th.

Here's your dose of golf secrets for the day

Double Bogey for Woods; not going his way, yet

Woods chipped his fourth shot onto the green but two-putted. Woods two over after one hole. Playing partners Fitzpatrick and Homa came away with pars.

No one better copes with diversity than Tiger Woods who has been struggling with leg complications for quite some time now. Not every player out there can manage to get back to a course/field/court with a rod inserted in their leg.

Woods underwent emergency surgery back in February to repair significant damage to his right leg and ankle and has not been able to play any golf since. 

He tried back at the US open, but ended up withdrawing in fear that he wouldn't make it to his "favorite course in history," who has won twice.

You can tell that that was the only golf Woods has played in the past few months. While he may be battling physically and is coming off rusty, we know this guy has the capacity to overcome the challenge and find his best shots at St. Andrews.  

Tiger Woods underway receiving a warm welcome

"Tiger Woods from the USA" tees off at St. Andrews as euphoric cheers scream out his name and balconies are packed with fans.

The 15-time major champion did not have the start he had in mind. 

Woods pulls back after his approach, which ends up in the Swilcan Burn and you can feel the sense of anticipation in the eager crowd. 

US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick and Max Homa are safely on to the green.

Huge ovation for the trio as they make their way along the front of the grandstand.

Cameron Young: "I can win out here"

Cam Young is making headlines as he leads the British Open by 3 strokes. 

"We had a lot of fun. I made a couple of longer putts early which got us off to a start and then we played some smart golf. We had a blast. I have had some good finishes and missed out by one or two shots quite a few times. That is proof to me that I can win out here."

Mcllroy is now 4-under-par

Rory Mcllroy, one of the most popular and decorated professional golfers in the world, had an incredible start at the Open today, but dropped his first shot of the day.

A poor shot flew 100 feet past the hole, missing saving par.

Wind picking up as the day goes on

As Cameron Young noted after his round, the wind picking up as the afternoon wears on may mean we can't expect any more extremely low scores today.

Par-star Scottie

World No.1 Scheffler has a par-start and is already looking in control for a  birdie on the 3rd 

Scheffler is just "trying to play good golf"

Scottie Scheffler said it again this week ahead of the Open: he doesn't feel like he is treated as the world No 1. 

"I guess it's good. I guess I am No. 1 in the rankings," Scheffler said Wednesday at St. Andrews ahead of The Open. "I'm not sure if I'm necessarily perceived that way by you all or whoever it is, but that's not stuff that I really ever think about. For me, I'm just trying to go out and play good golf."

Scheffler was tied for the third-best odds to win the championship as of Wednesday morning at 16-1, behind Rory McIlroy (9-1) and Xander Schauffele (14-1).

Let's see how the 26-year-old finishes his first day at the glorious course in St. Andrews. 

Mcllroy comes up short; Lowry joins birdie action

McIlroy had a birdie opportunity at the 11th, but his long putt didn't allow him a spot alongside Smith at five-under on second. He settles for par to stay in the hunt. 

Shane Lowry, on the other hand, had a fabulous putt at the 10th that earned him a birdie.

Dustin Johnson, Adam Scott and Marc Leishman are teeing off. 

Golf

Who are the LIV players competing in the 2022 British Open?

Talk of the breakaway LIV tour has of course dominated some of the talk in the run up to the Open, and LIV player Ian Poulter received one audible boo as he teed off at the first. In his press conference he was then grilled as to whether Old Tom Morris would be "turning in his grave a little bit at what's happened in professional golf over the past couple of months". Poulter batted the question away saying he had no idea. The subject isn't going to go away though. Check out the article above on which players from the LIV tour are playing here in St Andrews. 

Moriwaka making momentum

Reigning Champion Collin Morikawa started to pick up after having a quiet first eight holes.

Back-to-back birdies at 9 and 10 lift him into the red and the 25-year-old will try to keep the momentum going for what remains of the back nine.

Eagle Alert!

The Philippines player Justin De Los Santos shows the 12th is an eagle chance today.

Los Santos reaches one-under-par after an exquisite tee shot that moves into the red.

Paul Lawrie on pin positions

Paul Lawrie was just speaking on the BBC. The 1999 Open Champion was asked about the conditions, which has been one of many talking points coming into the tournament, with difficult pin positions being set in a bid to avoid the Old Course being humiliated by extremely low scores if the conditions stay benign.

Lawrie's opinion: “I think the pins are pretty tough, I think they’ve obviously felt as if they had to pull a couple away and tuck a couple away on the greens and there were a couple of pin [positions] I’ve never seen before here. I suppose they’re going to have to do that this week, if the weather is half decent I would imagine it’s going to be a birdie-fest out there, but I thought the course played really well, the pins were pretty tough, but the scoring looks ok, so they’ve got to do that I think."

Can't be a perfect day for Young

If you're following up on our coverage of the golf Open Championship, you would know how we feel about Cameron Young and his performance today. The American, who's got a birdie on nine to get to five under had a great chance to extend his lead with an eagle putt - but unfortunately misses.

He stays seven-under, still with a three-shot lead.

DeChambeau drops back

Bryson DeChambeau is two-under playing the last. The American golfer who was a former PGA Tour player converted to LIV, has just dropped his second shot of the day. 

Four players are on four-under now; McIlroy, Cameron Smith, Barclay Brown and now Kurt Kitayama.

At last weekend's Scottish Open, Kitayama was second and seems to be enjoying this course and its conditions.

Justin Thomas goes for a hoodie and ankle-revealing joggers

One of the most controversial topics of the day has been Justin Thomas' outfit, which was a fair old way from the standard golfing outfit. 

"Young Justin Thomas dressed like he's heading down to the shopping precint to harass supermarket customers. Remarkable." tweeted @TweeterAlliss (who is well worth a follow).

Amateur Barclay Brown is making noise

The Englishman from Sheffield is having his own sunny day at the Open Championships as he's had a brilliant opening round. Somewhere between 18-22 years old, Brown competes for the Stanford men’s golf team while attending Stanford University. Hence, his bucket hat.

Funny enough, Brown hasn't shared his age with the media  or given them his date of birth. 

Cameron Young is killing it!

The solo leader of The Open after he makes a birdie on nine to get to five under.

Spot of rain sweeping in

Well now, having been a rather pleasant, if grey, morning we've now got some rain, which should make things rather more interesting out on the course. It's also making things interesting for some of the spectators who are trotting rapidly off to the merch shops to grab a brolly. Top tip in Scotland - always plan for rain, even if it's a blue sky when you set out.

Cameron Young on fire

Cameron Young is leading the pack at the moment at seven under. He's birdied the second, third, fifth, sixth, ninth, eleventh and twelfth. The very definition of going on a tear. He's at the 13th right now. 

Young is out in front

Cameron Young officially takes the lead with successive birdies at 11 and 12 that take him to 7-under for day 1 at The Open, and a two-shot lead from Kim Joo-Hyung.

Rory is being Rory

Mcllroy is on a birdie streak!

Just a few minutes ago, Rory dinked his second shot from 90 yards to within five feet for an exquisite three at the sixth.

He nows closes with his approach shot on the seventh for a third birdie in a row, and a fourth in his opening seven holes.

Partner Schauffele also has a birdie, while Morikawa drops a shot.

Englishman Ian Poulter and Danny Willett are on three-under.

MacIntryre double bogey at the 13th

Scotland's MacIntyre who was flying along nicely at four under has a shocker at the par 4 13th and his double bogey sees him drop right back down into 15th on the leaderboard.

Hovland escapes with bogey

Viktor Hovland is promising but he's also back to one-under-par.The Norwegian had a rough lie on the downslope and got down for a five.

Poulter's massive putt for an eagle

Ian Poulter just been interviewed on BBC Five Live. He was happy with his 3 under 69. “A pretty solid day, all bar a pretty strange tee shot at the first which nearly went out of bounds - that was not the way you want to start the first hole here at St. Andrews, but played some really steady stuff.”

He also of course rolled one in from 162 feet at the ninth for an eagle: “It’s a super flat green, I only felt it was going to move a tiny bit from right to left and I hit it and it took an eternity to get the hole and obviously dropped in, so that’s an extra bonus to roll one in from that distance”

Here is the putt...

The Australian starts out well at The Open

Brad Kennedy makes it a trio on -4 by birdieing the 6th with a putt.

The Australian is having a good morning as his compatriot Min Woo Lee signed for a -3 and Cam Smith sits on the same score. 

McIlroy -1, Morikawa +1, Schauffele E (4)

McIlroy, Schauffele and Morikawa attack the par-five fifth and all get birdies.

McIlroy didn't have his best second shot - it hit an upslope of a bank - but he still gets down in two from there to move to two-under through five.

Schauffele is on one-under, and Morikawa is back to level par.

Cameron Young holds early advantage

Six birdies from 11 holes for the 25-year-old American. That's a two-shot lead. 

Brown wallops his drive at the 18th

Amateur Barclay Brown finished off on 18 for a four-under 68 making him the leader in the clubhouse, along with another player, Cameron Young, on five-under.

Eagle finish for Lawrie!

1999 Champion Paul Lawrie is making headlines as he started and finished Day 1 at the Open Championship in style.

A fantastic tee shot on 18 sets up an eagle putt for the Scottish, who signs for a 2-over 74.

Min Woo Lee signs for a 3-under 69 and Webb Simpson is also in the red on -1.

HOLE 18LAWRIE

Hovland picks up another

Viktor Hovland is looking edgy as he rolls in his short birdie putt at the third to get to two-under.

Mcllroy two-putts safely for par

McIlroy pushes his tee shot wide right on the fourth rolls his lengthy birdy short, and then two-putts safely for par.

One-under through four holes

Lee drops back

As Cameron Smith continued his bogey-free start with a fourth birdie of the morning on the 10th, Min Woo Lee drops out of a share of the lead with a bogey on the rough par-four 17th. 

Lee has drained clutch putts to save par on his last two holes but not this one.

Quick reminder, Smith is the winner of this year's Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass

Smith joining Kim and Young

Cameron Smith joins Joo-Hyung Kim and Cameron Young on four-under par with another birdie, on the 10th.

Barclay Brown is also on four-under now is amateur. 

Hovland has birdied two of his first three holes. Nice for the Norwegian! 

Van Rooyen withdraws from The Open!

South Africa's Erik van Rooyen has withdrawn from The Open ahead of his opening round due to a neck injury. Aaron Rai comes in as his last-minute replacement. 

Van Rooyen had been due to start at 1.48pm with Kevin Na and Japan's Kazuki Higa. 

This is the second withdrawal of the day, after Justin Rose pulls out due to a back injury. 

Schauffele, Mcllroy and Morikawa

Xander Schauffele hits his first birdie at 3 which takes him back level between partners Rory McIlroy (-1) and Collin Morikawa (+1

Morikawa and McIlroy both settle for a par at the third

55-foot birdie from Mcllroy wows the Open Audience at St. Andrews

Marquee groups difficult luck

While Matsuyama missed his good birdie look at the first, tidying up for the two-putt par and Hovland slows up short of the target with his uphill birdie shot, Lowry is punished for the bad break off

But we're here still talking about one thing: the 55-foot birdie from Mcllroy!

Lowry walks off with a double-bogey

A wild tee shot costs Shane Lowry at the 2nd as he misses the target from five feet. 
 

McIlroy -1, Morikawa E, Schauffele +1 (1)

Morikawa and Schauffele have played it safe and hit it to the back of the green, while McIlroy is just in the right rough off the second,

First group of the morning making progress

Day 1 at the Open Championship is not getting any less exciting as the crowd continues to gather around the oldest golf course in history. 

Just in the last 15 minutes, Bryson DeChambeau bashes a three wood off the ninth tee, which skips and bounds on and trundles across the green and just off the back confidently; Viktor Hovland starts with a birdie on the 1st, the Norwegian who's regarded as one of the most promising young talents in the world. And Rory Mcllroy drains a lengthy 55-foot putt on the first green to instantly jump out to one under.

Rose withdraws from British Open with back injury

Britain’s Justin Rose has withdrawn from the British Open with a back injury, the Royal & Ancient said on Thursday.

Rose, who has struggled with back problems, had shown hints of distress on Wednesday when he abandoned his practice round.

The former world number one and 2013 U.S. Open champion had been due to tee off at 0814 (0714 GMT) alongside Tommy Fleetwood and 2018 Open winner Francesco Molinari but was a no-show.

Sergio Garcia, one of the many LIV golfers in action at The Open

Heavily criticized Phil Mickelson, as well as Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Bryson DeChambeau, and Brooks Koepka are among some of the recognizable players who have left the PGA Tour for the LIV Golf series. Mickelson, Johnson, and Koepka headline the field of 23 LIV players competing this weekend. 

Leaderboard: Brandon Wu and Ian Poulter both on -3 after 10 and 9 holes respectively. 

30th Open at St. Andrews

Back in 1873, Scottish Tom Kidd won the first Open ever played at Old Course St. Andrews, with scores of 91 and 88 in the first time the major was played at an 18-holes course, which netted him the grand sum of £11 or $13 at today’s exchange rate (£835 in today’s money, according to the Bank of England, or $998).

This year, the Scottish course will host the British Open for the 30th time, 150 years after the first edition, and having been conquered by some of the greatest golfers to ever live. St. Andrews has seen Jack Nicklaus win three times, as well as two victories for Tiger Woods, in 2000 and 2005. The American superstar will be playing in Scotland this week with hopes of winning his fourth British Open, which would put him just two majors behind Jack Nicklaus, on 18, for the most ever.

GOLF

The Open: Woods and McIlroy defend Old Course difficulty that ‘still stands test of time’

American Webb Simpson is the current leader at The Open on -2. The North Carolina native is currently on the 9th hole and leads a raft of players who are currently on -1.

Morikawa, McllRoy and Schauffele head out together

Three of the biggest names in world golf head out together in round one this morning with the two Americans and Northern Irish star set to tee off at 09:58 (local time) (04:58 ET).

150th Open: weather forecast

It's a fresh morning in St Andrews with a top temperature of 20C/70F anticipated later today with the threat of a shower never far away. The temperature is expected to improve as the weekend advances but sun lovers will be disappointed with plenty of cloud cover expected over the four days.

Ones to watch: In-form Schauffele

Fresh from his victory at the Scottish Open – where other putative Open contenders floundered – Xander Schauffele is certainly one to watch. Last week’s victory at the Renaissance Club, which came despite a two-over-par opening round, came hot on the heels of his triumph at the Travelers Championship, sending the Tokyo 2020 gold medallist to St Andrews as a man in form. 

The American has also been in the mix at golf’s oldest major before, finishing tied second at Carnoustie in 2018, where a final-round 74 ended his hopes of a maiden major. That search will continue this week for the 28-year-old, with the Claret Jug firmly in his sights.

Ones to watch: 'Popular vote' Mcllroy

The Saudi Arabia backed LIV breakaway tour has made villains of a number of star names, but Rory McIlroy is the PGA Tour’s hero. With news of each defector, McIlroy has stood firm in his opposition to the Saudi-backed series – all the while stringing together a superb run of form, finishing in the top 20 in each of his past seven entries and the top 10 in each of the first three majors of the year.

Rory is a very real contender this week, and there could hardly be a more popular winner. He has unfinished business at St Andrews, too, having tied for third in 2010 and then missed the 2015 event – where he would have been the defending champion – through injury.

Ones to watch: More Morikawa magic?

Colin Morikawa enjoyed a sensational 2021, triumphing at Royal St George’s to claim his second major title aged just 24 and becoming the first player to win on his Open debut since 2003.

Yet 2022 has so far failed to yield the same success for the defending champion. He went into the weekend with the lead at last month’s U.S. Open, only for a wobble on the Saturday to prove costly.

After recovering with a fourth-round 65 to finish tied for fifth, Morikawa said he had learned to “just go play golf”, although that approach did not serve him particularly well at the Scottish Open, where he failed to make the cut. If he manages to find the composure that deserted him during that dismal third round in Boston, however, then the world number eight cannot be overlooked as a serious contender once again.

Golf

Who are the LIV players competing in the 2022 British Open?

Round 1 tee-times

Tee time (ET) Group

1:35 a.m .Paul Lawrie, Webb Simpson, Min Woo Lee

1:46 a.m.Sadom Kaewkanjana, Ben Campbell, Barclay Brown

1:57 a.m.Dean Burmester, Chan Kim, Brandon Wu

2:08 a.m.Ian Poulter, Jamie Donaldson, Guido Migliozzi

2:19 a.m.Garrick Higgo, Minkyu Kim, Ashley Chesters

2:30 a.m.Phil Mickelson, Lucas Herbert, Kurt Kitayama

2:41 a.m.Patrick Reed, Tom Hoge, JooHyung Kim

2:52 a.m.John Daly, Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Tringale

3:03 a.m.Cameron Smith, Brooks Koepka, Seamus Power

3:14 a.m.Francesco Molinari, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose

3:25 a.m.Cameron Young, Kyoung-Hoo Lee, Robert MacIntyre

3:36 a.m.Zach Johnson, Billy Horschel, Corey Conners

3:47 a.m.Brian Harman, Pablo Larrazabal, Danny Willett

4:03 a.m.Stephen Dodd, JT Poston, Lee Westwood

4:14 a.m.Sepp Straka, Luke List, Justin De Los Santos

4:25 a.m.Ernie Els, Adri Arnaus, Brad Kennedy

4:36 a.m.Mackenzie Hughes, Scott Vincent, Victor Perez

4:47 a.m.Jason Kokrak, Nicolai Hojgaaard, Sihwan Kim

4:58 a.m.Collin Morikawa, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele

5:09 a.m.Shane Lowry, Justin Thomas, Viktor Hovland

5:20 a.m.Will Zalatoris, Hideki Matsuyama, Tony Finau

5:31 a.m.Kevin Kisner, Chris Kirk, Takumi Kanaya

5:42 a.m.Dylan Frittelli, Trey Mullinax, Matthew Jordan

5:53 a.m.Anthony Quayle, Zander Lombard, John Parry

6:04 a.m.Thomas Detry, Richard Mansell, Marco Penge

6:15 a.m.Alexander Bjork, Oliver Farr, Matt Ford

6:36 a.m.Mark Calcavecchia, Ryan Fox, Jediah Morgan

6:47 a.m.Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Bernd Wiesberger, Sam Bairstow

6:58 a.m.Adrian Meronk, Haotong Li, Marcus Armitage

7:09 a.m.Thriston Lawrence, Fabrizio Zanotti, Alex Wrigley

7:20 a.m.Aaron Wise, Si Woo Kim, Sam Horsfield

7:31 a.m.Talor Gooch, Shaun Norris, Wyndham Clark

7:42 a.m.Henrik Stenson, Russell Henley, Aldrich Potgieter

7:53 a.m.Stewart Cink, Sergio Garcia, Aaron Jarvis

8:04 a.m.Sungjae Im, Paul Casey, Gary Woodland

8:15 a.m.Dustin Johnson, Adam Scott, Marc Leishman

8:26 a.m.Scottie Scheffler, Joaquin Niemann, Tyrrell Hatton

8:37 a.m.Darren Clarke, Richard Bland, Filippo Celli

8:48 a.m.Kevin Na, Kazuki Higa, Erik Van Rooyen

9:04 a.m.David Duval, Justin Harding, Jordan Smith

9:15 a.m.Shugo Imahira, Jason Scrivener, David Law

9:26 a.m.Abraham Ancer, Yuto Katsuragawa, Emiliano Grillo

9:37 a.m.Louis Oosthuizen, Harris English, Keita Nakajima

9:48 a.m.Padraig Harrington, Thomas Pieters, Keith Mitchell

9:59 a.m.Tiger Woods, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Max Homa

10:10 a.m.Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm, Harold Varner III

10:21 a.m.Patrick Cantlay, Sam Burns, Mito Pereira

10:32 a.m.Keegan Bradley, Sebastian Munoz, Sahith Theegala

10:43 a.m.Laurie Canter, Dimitrios Papadatos, Matthew Griffin

10:54 a.m.John Catlin, Jamie Rutherford, David Carey

11:05 a.m.Mingyu Cho, Joge Fernandez Valdes, Robert Dinwiddie

11:16 a.m.Lars Van Meijel, Jack Floydd, Ronan Mullarney

We'll bring you live coverage each day as the biggest names in the sport look to emulate 2021 winner Collin Morikawa, with Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy, two of the hottest players over the last couple of months and among the favourites for the title.

Hello and a very warm welcome to our live coverage of the 150th edition of the British Open, live from St Andrews in Scotland.