The stand out player through most of the afternoon was Thomas Bjorn who only found out on Monday that he would be replacing Vijay Singh as first substitute. Describing the opportunity as a "joy ride" Bjorn had nothing to lose after falling apart in the final round of The Open at St. George's eight years ago - to lose the title by one shot.

Miraculously Bjorn's 65 was matched later in the afternoon, as the wind died down, by a more unlikely contender: twenty year old British Amateur Tom Lewis. Only gaining a place a few weeks ago by shooting a superb 63, 65 in local qualifying, his debut has already been compared to that of Rory Mcllroy and Justin Rose.

After only dropping two shots the youngster, who won here two years ago to win the young boys championship, took advantage of the conditions and marched through birdies on the back nine with little or no hesitation. This felt like a dream for Lewis, born in Faldo's home town and named after his playing partner Tom Watson.

Simpson Webb was another young contender who finished well with a share of second to keep the American dream alive.

Today saw many of the over 40's make their mark. Miguel Jimenez shot a round of 66 to show that he can still compete in majors. Darren Clarke also had a blistering start to his 20th appearance at The Open, trailing just two shots behind for a share of third place with fellow Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell.

It was a tough day for the favourites. Luke Donald started badly (he was refused entry to the course because he forgot his pass) but went on to shoot 71. US Open Champion Rory Mcllroy finished one over par after taking a break from his first major win in the US Open. He committed to remain 'patient' and is more than able to close a six shot lead after the opening round.

A disastrous start with three bogies in the first five holes saw Lee Westwood just recover to join his fellow world ranking leaders at 1 under.

The best shot of the day goes to Dustin Johnson who, despite being on antibiotics for a virus, aced the tricky par three 16th with an amazing display. The American is tied with Spaniard Sergio Garcia at level par.

The Oxforsdsire's Craig Hinton took on the tough conditions and shot a 12 over 82 in his first major, qualifying as an amateur. Had it not been for the fifth, which a third of the field failed to par, he would be up there with some of golf's better known names.

The draw for today proved crucial as the wet and blustery conditions in the morning were replaced by a calmer afternoon which really had an impact on scores.

The good weather is supposed to last for those who played late today and who will start early tomorrow making it even more difficult for the likes of Mcllroy to make a charge.

We can only hope that the intriguing start to this Open continues with plenty more great play.