A dry start greets the first man up at St Andrews - winner in 1999 and Britain's last Open champion Paul Lawrie. The Scot manages to ping his drive straight down the middle as the 150th Open gets under way
It is another former champion in John Daly, though, who makes the early running - the American, donned in bizarre garb even by his own standards, storms to seven under par through the first 11 holes
Hanging onto early front-runner Daly's coat-tails is Germany's Marcel Siem who birdies five of the opening 10 holes before a bogey at the par-three 11th sets him back
As expected, world number one Tiger Woods receives a huge amount of attention as he tees off alongside England's Justin Rose and Colombian Camilo Villegas just after 0900 BST
Much of the focus is on the American's new putter - Woods is attempting to become the first man to win three Open titles at St Andrews after changing his wand for the first time in 11 years
Scotland's Andrew Coltart, who is playing in his first Open since 2002, birdies the 18th to match playing partner Daly's 66 as the pair claim the clubhouse lead on six under
Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy is in superb form and takes full advantage of the ideal conditions to lead the Open on eight under after sinking a birdie putt on the 15th
McIlroy is congratulated by playing partner and 2009 US Open champion Lucas Glover as the Holywood man cards a nine-under 63 courtesy of a birdie at 18 - the lowest opening round in Open history
Woods strokes home a par putt at the 18th to secure a useful 67, leaving him within striking distance of the lead on five under and tied for eighth
South African Louis Oosthuizen manages to tame the Old Course, despite the wind getting up in the afternoon. He cards a seven-under 65 - two off McIlroy's clubhouse lead
However, there was little cheer for two-time winner Irishman Padraig Harrington who finished with a 73
Welshman Bradley Dredge, who held the course record of 64 until it was lowered by McIlroy, shoots an impressive 66 to finish the opening day tied for third
Little-known Kent golfer Steven Tiley puts in one of the most impressive and surprising rounds of the day, a six-under 66. The 27-year-old is best known for winning the Egyptian Open eight months ago
The conditions slowly begin to change in the afternoon, making low scoring harder for those teeing off late. England's Lee Westwood still impresses with a 67, though, despite an injured calf
It's a completely different story for American Jim Furyk though - he goes out in the group after Westwood and cards a five-over 77 to finish a massive 15 shots behind leader McIlroy
Graeme McDowell struggles to maintain the form that saw him win the US Open last month. The Northern Irishman hits an inconsistent 71 and will hope for better on Friday
Another player to hit 71 was Sergio Garcia, who was unhappy with his opening round. The Spaniard failed to get going and missed a relatively simple birdie chance at the last, rather summing up his season so far
Masters champion Phil Mickelson was another player out of sorts. The left-hander, who has a slim chance of replacing Tiger Woods as world number one this week, managed his only birdie at the final hole to finish one over
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