The BRITISH OPEN GOLF Tournament 2014 :
Tiger Woods Makes Bad Start at Hoylake as Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy eye Claret Jug
- Tiger Woods drops two shots in his first two holes
- Woods returns to Hoylake where he won The Open in 2006
- Woods is fit again after time off following back surgery
- Rory McIlroy is just behind Justin Rose and Adam Scott in the betting
- Rose won the Scottish Open at Royal Aberdeen last weekend
- Aussie Scott is the world No 1
- American Phil Mickelson is the defending champion
Daily Mail UK, 17 July 2014
Royal Liverpool is the venue for the 143rd Open Championship as the world's best golfers take aim at the famous Claret Jug.
Over the next four days, one man will emerge as the hero of Hoylake... but who will it be?
Englishman Justin Rose, on a roll after following up a win at Congressional by taking the Scottish Open at Royal Aberdeen last weekend, and Aussie Adam Scott are at the head of the betting.
Rose and Scott have Jason Dufner for company and the three of them tee off at 2.27pm.
Tiger Woods should have signed his card by then on his return to the track where he lifted the most recent of his three Claret Jugs in 2006 .
The former world No 1, fit again but very lightly raced after back surgery earlier in the year, tees off just after 9am with Angel Cabrera and Henrik Stenson.
With the first group out at 6.25am and the final three not off until after 4pm, it's going to be a long day.
Brian Lee is our early starter with Joe Strange taking over later in the day.page.
12:09
Here he comes...
Woods' approach to the 12th leaves him five feet for birdie and he grabs his chance to dip into the red for the first time. He's got a huge following but one local hero also has plenty of backing on the Merseyside links.
Matt Lawless, covered in factor 32 as he enjoys a day off, says: 'Good to see local lad John Singleton making a steady start. The forklift driver is level through six. And his choice to wear an impartial red and blue shirt seems to be going down well with his neighbours, who are right behind him for every shot with cheers of, 'Come on, John!' Scouse solidarity!'
11:59
Edoardo beats him to it
Molinari birdies the last to post four under and his playing partner Koepka follows him in. McIlroy should make it a famous five on the same mark just shortly. He was disappointed to miss the green with his second to the par-five 10th but the chip on is a cracker and leaves a tiddler to tidy up.
11:51
FINALLY one drops for Tiger
And it's a belter... from way off the green at the 11th after the approach was lacking a couple of yards. He's back to level par. Up ahead, Garcia nails a monster of his own to join his playing partner Fowler on four under.
They're about to have company as Koepka leaves his eagle attempt, from around 50 feet, in gimme range at 18. He'll post four under.
Plenty to ponder: Woods made a poor start to his first round before battling his way back
11:49
Four in a row?
Scotsman Stephen Gallacher has a putt right across the seventh green after three birdies in a row from the fourth. He gives it a good go but it just runs out of juice. He stays three under.
11:44
Rickie Fowler leads on his own
That five-footer gave Fowler no problems and he struts to the 13th as the only man to reach four under. Get in. 40/1 earlier in the week.
11:43
Rory heading home
A loooooooong birdie putt at the ninth needed another roll as McIlroy just misses out on the solo lead. But he'll be more than happy with three birdies and no dropped shots on his front nine.
Show me the way to go home: McIlroy has turned in three under after an impressive front nine
11:38
Sportsmail's Derek Lawrenson has been watching Tiger
He says: 'No better place to be than Royal Liverpool this morning. After the flat proceedings at Muirfield last year, the atmosphere is back with nearly all the grandstands now packed and a huge crowd walking with Tiger Woods. Just walked nine holes with him and there’s nothing wrong that some more competitive golf won’t cure. Early on there were mi**** iron shots and ropey putts but a little rhythm was starting to appear towards the end of the first nine. Great to see him back.
Playing alongside Woods and Stenson wasCabrera, who took driver while they were playing two irons, found every fairway, was frequently 70 yards ahead of them….and reached the turn in a miserable 39 shots. Work that one out.'
11:34
I did it my way...
...could be the Rickie Fowler anthem for links golf. Not a lot of bump and runs as the Ryder Cup star quite often takes the high road. It's working though and he just misses the chance to lead on his own as a birdie putt at 11 stays out. But he has a chance at 12 after his second from a long way out finishes five feet away. Watch this space.
11:28
Rory's rocket
Sportsmail's Matt Lawton is following McIlroy round and he was blown away by a monster tee shot at the fifth. It was the first time Rory had taken the driver out of the bag and he bombed it 353 yards - the longest of the day at that hole. Over to you, Bubba.
Grip it and rip it: McIlroy watches his huge drive at the fifth hole
11:25
You can't keep a good man down for long
Garcia drops out of the leading pack with a bogey-six at the 10th but he makes a quick return after a superb chip-in at the next hole.
11:15
Tiger turns one over
Just like at the eighth, Woods threatens the hole at the ninth but the birdie attempt stays above ground and he remains one over turning for home. Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama rolls one in at the seventh to reach three under - it really is the magic number - and has started his bid to go better than his sixth-place finish last year.
Robert Karlsson of Sweden walks from the 18th green after his round on the first day of the British Open Golf championship
at the Royal Liverpool golf club, Hoylake, England, Thursday July 17, 2014. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
11:14
More from out on the course - Tiger and an Italian Hammer
Chris Cutmore says 'Woods is still smiling' but we'll come back to that after we get his reaction to his birdie putt at the eighth lipping out.
Matt Lawless is also plodding his way round and he's watching Francesco Molinari. 'Well, he is a fellow West Ham fan,' says Lawless.
Chris added: 'A few intrepid golf fans have found a top spot to watch the action for free out on the dunes by the estuary beyond the 13th green. One man keeps crouching down and hiding in the long grass whenever players reach the green. Its no use mate - We can see you!'
11:09
Didn't see that coming...
Matt Jones has just finished with a flourish. From an awkward stance in the bunker, he chips in for eagle to go from one over to one under. Some score for the man who was four over after three holes.
11:03
Rampant Rory
McIlroy gets his birdie. The putt was longer than I thought, maybe around 12 feet, but he gets it just right and there's now six of them on three under. Gentleman Jim Furyk is one of the group, the veteran American who was fourth here in 2006, birdies nine and taps in from a couple of feet for another at 10.
10:56
Done and dusted
The first three out on the course have finished. Karlsson saves par at the last after that wayward second to stay three under while Howell goes round in level-par 72 with Duval one shot worse off.
Matteo Manassero joins Karlsson and Co at the top after rolling in a four-footer for birdie at the 11th. And McIlroy could be next to hop aboard, another sweet iron, this time off the tee at the sixth, sets him up with a birdie opportunity.
10:45
He shoots, he scores
Peter Alliss just called Rickie Fowler Robbie. Well, he is near Liverpool and the American can hit his target like the former Reds goal machine. Fowler (Rickie, not Robbie - jeez Peter you've confused the lot of us) makes no mistake from around 20 feet with a bit of a break on the eighth. He's in a share of the lead.
Making a move: Rickie Fowler got to three under after eight holes of his first round
10:40
Jordan two good
Another young American doing well is Jordan Spieth. He's picked up shots at the third and fourth after a couple of pars to start. Kopeka and Karlsson have joined Garcia at the top but the Swede, looking for a big finish to post the clubhouse lead, fires his second at the par-five 18th into the deep rough. Work to do.
10:32
I only nipped off for five mins...
what did I miss? A birdie for Tiger by the looks of it as he's back at one over after taking four shots to nail the fifth. Stenson matches him to get back to level and we're just over four hours in to day one with the opening group heading down the last. More on them in a minute.
10:10
Oops he's done it again...
McIlroy's played another pin-point approach and left a real look at a birdie on three while Tiger leaves himself yet another tester for par at the fourth. It's about seven feet and he slams it home. Still two over. McIlroy gives his a go but it shaves the hole on the right hand side.
Spot the Rory: I'm told McIlroy is in this picture. It's a great shot of the course anyway
10:05
More from out on the course
Chris Cutmore says: 'The grandstands are full now and crowds are flocking to see the greats of the game. Jim Furyk looks like he'd pay himself to watch playing partner Tom Watson. Gentleman Jim cant help but let out an incredulous laugh as the 54-year-old five time Open champion spanks a 3 wood down the middle on the par-five fifth. Watson's old weakness returns to haunt him as he three putts from 20 feet for par but what a treat that players and fans alike are still marvelling at his magic.'
And Riath Al-Samarrai tells us: 'Just had a flavour of the 'Tiger effect' on the second. Pretty much had the rope to myself as Paul Casey went through. Within 10 minutes, I was being pushed forward by a crowd five deep. By the time Woods took his third putt it was seven deep, with one American rather curiously calling 'you got this, baby, you got this'. I'm not entirely convinced he does.'
10:00
Tricky Rickie...
...but Fowler plays a superb pitch over the bunker at the fifth to leave a putt for his second straight birdie. Good news for all of you who backed the young American who was top-five in the year's two majors. He's two under.
09:58
Molinari and Garcia join the party
Edoardo Molinari - the better putter of the two brothers - shows his class with the short stick to sink a long one at the 10th and move three under. Garcia's effort from 12 feet at the fifth just drops in with its last roll and he's also at the summit.
09:52
They're roaring for Rory
McIlroy has left a tap-in birdie at the second after firing a six-iron approach to within inches of the hole. The conditions are perfect for the two-time major winner - not a bit of wind and the course is playing soft. Up ahead, Tiger's left a tap-in of his own and this will be his first par of the day. The ship has been steadied.
Sitting pretty: Aussie Marc Leishman played his way to the top of the leaderboard after 10 holes
09:39
Marc Leishman leads The Open
The Aussie is out on his own after a birdie at the 10th. What Tiger would give for one of those. His par putt stays out right and he's dropped two in two while Stenson sinks from 12 feet to stay one over. McIlroy's birdie effort at the first stays above ground but it's a steady start for the Northern Irishman.
09:36
Nice this time of year
Nice little snippet from Hazel Irvine there. She tells us Rory McIlroy was on holiday in Spain with his folks the last time The Open was at Hoylake. I watched most of the 1994 Open in a pub in Magaluf. Haven't been back since. Rory's in good shape after finding the green with his second to the first but, once again, Tiger leaves a tester at the second. This time it's for par. Watch this space.
09:27
Sergio fancies this
Garcia joins the leaders on two under after nailing one from around 15 feet at the third. It's a smile and a wave as he moves on the fourth. Two holes back, Tiger finds the light rough off the tee at the second while back at the first, Rory McIlroy goes with iron and plays a beauty.
09:21
How quickly it can change
His tee shot had the gallery applauding but Tiger's second was poor, finding the bunker on the right. He splashes out and over the green forcing him to putt back up the slope and on. The American still has work to do just to drop one shot after coming up six feet short. In it goes and he moves on having made the same opening score as he did in 2006. Not all bad then. Stenson follows him in for a five after Cabrera - the only one of the three to take driver off the tee - posts a par.
Good start: The crowd enjoyed Tiger's tee shot at the opening hole
Not so good: Tiger was in a bit of bunker bother after a slack second shot
09:03
On the tee... Tiger Woods
Woods is about to start just his third competitive round since going under the knife to cure a back problem. He'll be fresh but how sharp? You can still get 20/1 on the man who's last major triumph was in 2008 when he won the US Open... with a broken leg.
It was all about his 'stinger' off the tee in 2006 when he took home the Claret Jug as the driver stayed in the bag. It's staying put for now and an iron is the right choice as Tiger finds the short stuff.
09:01
Off we go: Luke Donald (left) and Sergio Garcia make their way up the first
08:57
Fans' favourites
Sergio Garcia has a special place in the hearts of most punters watching The Open and they'll have enjoyed the Spaniard's opening birdie. Tom Watson is even more popular and he also takes three at the first before giving it back at the next hole.
08:50
That's one way to do it
Young Italian Matteo Manassero found an interseting route into the red figures. After finding the fairway bunker on the first, the young Italian splashed out before slam dunking his approach from 150 yards for an outrageous birdie start.
08:27
First glimpse of the Tiger
Woods has made his way to the practice ground ahead of his 9.04am tee time.
On the prowl: Tiger Woods on the range
08:24
All good things come to an end
Howell takes six at the par-four seventh to undo that good work earlier on and he's two behind Dawie van der Walt, Marc Leishman and Edoardo Molinari. Very much a united nations feel to the top of the leaderboard with Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Swede Freddie Jacobson just behind.
08:14
Been there, done that
A few more former champions are out and about. Ben Curtis (2003) starts with a bogey while his fellow American Justin Leonard (1997) and Scotland's Paul Lawrie (1999) manage pars. At the other end of the leaderboard, nobody wants to be keeping up with Jones. Matt is five over after six holes.
07:57
Temper, temper
'Tony Jacklin called the tee shot on the third hole the 'most frightening' in all Open Championship golf, and Matt Jones has quickly proven why,' Chris Cutmore tells us. 'Despite there being barely a breath of wind out there this morning, which should make the hole considerably easier to play, the Aussie slices his lay-up straight into the out-of-bounds area to the right of the dog-leg. Jones throws down another ball - as well as his toys out of the pram - before whacking it away in disgust. Berndt Wiesberger, meanwhile, lays up short of the out-of-bounds but then, with a devilish pin cut so close to that area, very nearly sticks his approach in trouble. He survives the out-of-bounds by the skin of his teeth, but a chunky chip sees the Austrian hack the rough in a fit of anger. Wobblers all round.'
07:50
No wonder you're smiling, Ashley
Young English amateur Ashley Chesters had a big grin on his face as he arrived at the first tee and it would've been wider as he walked off the green with a birdie. The 24-year-old from Shropshire is last year's amateur champion.
Bring it on: Ashley Chesters looked ready to enjoy himself at Royal Liverpool
07:45
What a drive: The green staff were up even earlier than Howell, Karlsson and Duval
07:44
Here we go, three in a row
Swindon swinger Howell does indeed get that third straight birdie. Just as he's joined in the red by Brooks Koepka and Edoardo Molinari, he edges out on his own once more. Howell hasn't qualified for the last four Opens but he's got form on the terrain, winning the Dunhill Links last year.
07:34
Howell on a hat-trick
Howell wastes no time wiping out that bogey at the first. After a par at the second he picks up shots at three and four and he's the only man in red numbers after Wood bogeys the second.
07:08
Birdie alert
It's the first one of the day... could it be a sign of things to come for lanky Englishman Chris Wood? He's twice finished in the top five - in 2008 and 2009 - and is off to a flyer, taking half the number of shots required by his playing partner Austrian Bernd Wiesberger. Wood knows what he's doing - a low chasing iron uses the contours of the fairway to finish 15 feet away and he rattles in the putt.
06:58
Early birds
The first lot had plenty of support despite the early start and Chris Cutmore says: 'Several hundred crowd round the first tee to hear the famous tones of Ivor Robson announce Howell. The fizz as Karlsson cracks a long iron down the first fairway draws gasps from the crowd and already it looks like Tiger's stinger strategy will be the tactic to employ.'
Fan-tastic: There was a fair crowd at the first tee as Howell got us going
Tricky start: This is what the players face at the 458-yard opener
06:41
And they're off
After hearing he was in the opening group Duval said it takes him a while to loosen up in the mornings. We'll blame tiredness for his drive going way left. But he saves his par to match Karlsson as Howell, who missed the cut here eight years ago, lets the trio down with a bogey.
06:22
Pin positions
Here's the flags the field will be trying to get at.
Pin positions for Thursday
06:18
Here comes the sun
So, their telly schedule wasn't the best but what about the Beeb's weather forecast? It should be spot-on, it's the same as we've got in the paper. The early starters will have some cloud around but it's looking good from around mid-morning. Bright and sunny with a top temperature of 23. Not quite the scorcher of 2006 when Tiger won the Claret Jug here but we'll take it.
06:05
Good morning...
We're 20 minutes away from the first ball of the 143rd Open Championship being fired down the first. Englishman David Howell has the honour and the man who recently chalked up a 500th European Tour appearance is joined by Sweden's Robert Karlsson and the 2001 winner David Duval. The 42-year-old American is way down the rankings in 940th place these days following injuries, illness and a loss of form since winning at Lytham 13 years ago and admitted one problem would be getting to bed early.