Dave Tindall is our man at The Open. Follow his blog from the opening day at Royal Lytham
2100: Now just chewing the fat with colleagues Matt Cooper and Harry 'The Hat' Emanuel about who might win and where the value lies. Harry keeps mentioning Zach Johnson. I'm hoping someone will spring from the pack - basically because it's where most of my tips are! Yes, not a great day with Rose +4 and Curtis +5. But I'm certainly not giving up on Dufner (Evs), Mahan (Evs) and Fowler (+1). The latter pair have early tee-times so hopefully can get into red figures and start climbing towards Adam Scott's lead of -6. David Duval won here in 2001 with a winning score of -10 and yet at halfway he was only even par. There's a long way to go yet!
2020: Padraig Harrington (70): "I think this is a good golf course, a fair golf course. It's not tricky or anything like that, so I can't see it in any shape or form throwing up an odd winner this week. It's a solid a golf course as you could want."
2010: Rory McIlroy: "I think we had it maybe slightly tougher than the guys in the morning, and 67 was a score that I'm very pleased with. It's a fair test. It's a very fair test. And I think on a golf course like this, the cream will rise to the top. And I think you're seeing that with the leaderboard today."
1945: A busy scene in the mixed zone just then with Padraig Harrington, Luke Donald, Steve Stricker, Geoff Ogilvy and Phil Mickelson all giving their post-round thoughts. A very honest Mickelson says: "You know what, I putted poorly today and I drove it horrific and the chipping was below average. And so I shot 3 over. It's just a much easier golf course with the soft conditions. The ball doesn't run out into the fairways and go into the bunkers. The greens you can get aggressive with and make some birdies. But you've got to be in the fairway to do it and I just wasn't."
1915: Plenty of famous faces watching the action out at 18. Denis Pugh, under a big umbrella, seeing Francesco Molinari finish, Rory McIlroy's parents cheering their son's closing birdie which gave him a 67 and Amy Mickelson, alongside coach Butch Harmon, seeing home Phil.
1835: Thorbjorn Olesen birdied all the par threes today. He actually birdied a par 3 in Qualifying to make it into The Open so his streak is 5!
1830: Want to know who has hit most fairways today? Tiger Woods (-3) with 13 out of 14. Then again Justin Rose hit 12 and shot +4. The greens in regulation leaders (with 15 out of 18) are Tiger, Carl Pettersson (+1), Aaron Baddeley (+1) and Kyle Stanley (Lev).
1815: Double for Rory at 15. His stray tee-shot which whacked the unfortunate young lad in the head went out of bounds. Drops him to -1 from -3 but he's just driven the par four 16th green so might get the two shots back again straight away.
1805: Rory's shot at 15 smacks a young boy on the head. Like all golfers, he responds by giving the stricken child a signed golf glove. Sometimes I think if a golfer saw a dead animal in the road, they'd jump out and give it a signed glove.
1755: Latest SkyBet Open odds: 11/2 Woods, 15/2 McIlroy, 8/1 Scott, 12/1 Colsaerts, 14/1 Donald, Lawrie, Z Johnson.
1745: Not been a good day for the tips - unless Fowler and Mahan can turn it around. Both are +1 after 13 and 15 respectively so am keeping fingers crossed for a grandstand finish.
1705: Japan's Toshinori Muto goes to -4 (fourth place) with a birdie at 11. His recent form on the Japanese Tour reads 16-2-29-8-6 - decent but not good enough to suggest he might play this well here. The many Japanese photographers and writers here (mostly for Ryo Ishikawa) will be loving this.
1650: Classic Phil Mickelson at 8. Finds pot bunker and blasts out into deep rough just above the lip. He rummages around in there like a beardless David Bellamy and, after finding his ball, has to take an unplayable. Goes to the drop zone, hits a lovely chip and then holes for a hugely entertaining bogey.
1620: So let's see. Rory was 5/1 to win last year's bad-weather Open. And yet he was 25/1 to win this good-weather one. Doh, hoped you backed him as I didn't. Now -2 after 8.
1605: Sunday forecast looks interesting: "Wind calm at first, increasing to 15 to 20mph, gusts 25 to 30mph later." #menfromtheboys
1555: Ernie Els: "I wish I could have put some money on myself. But I don't think it's allowed. I think I was like 100 to 1 or something?" Erm, you were actually 40/1 Ernie.
1545: Run your eye down the leaderboard and it's classy Adam Scott at -6 followed by six major champions: -5 Paul Lawrie, Zach Johnson, -3 Ernie Els, Bubba Watson, Graeme McDowell, Tiger Woods.
1535: "Bad day at the office," says defending champ Darren Clarke after his 76. "I don't think you could publish my thoughts right now." After he's calmed down a bit, he adds: "It was disappointing, because at practice I hit it really, really well. But what can I do, I tried my best on every shot, but unfortunately it wasn't there again today."
1525: Tom Watson is asked if the wind today was the most benign he can recall. "Well, it's not the most benign. Actually the first round at Turnberry 2009 there was no wind at all," says Watson. "There wasn't a breath at Muirfield on Saturday, 1980," he adds. Good memory for a 62-year-old. A good round too, a one-over 71.
1520: Good to see Paul Casey finally showing some form. He's had a nightmare of late but here he's gone to the turn in -3.
1500: Sergio's mood was pretty good during his chat with the press - even though he shot a 72. Said his swing was a little off but was smiling away when he left and went to sign some autographs.
1445: Just spent 30 minutes in the mixed zone where players do their quick interviews rather than come into the press tent. Tiger, McDowell, Kaymer, Garcia and the tiny Yoshinori Fujimoto. Ironically, McDowell talked about Lytham being a sleeping giant today as he was stood next to the 5ft 5in (in heels) Japanese ace. Players were raving about the greens although Tiger said they were slower than what he expected and hence his putters started on the right line but lacked speed. Seemed very happy with the way he played though. Despite it being his fourth interview, I was pleasantly surprised that he said to us when he left: "Thanks guys, appreciate it."
1415: What are my players doing! Two double bogeys in three holes for Dufner (+2), triple for Ben Curtis (+3).
1405: Just been into Adam Scott's press conference. He said it felt like a "walk in the park" today although he realises it will get tougher. Inevitably he's asked the "62" question. Scott says he was well aware that 62 would have been a new record but only realised it was on whilst waiting to go to the toilet on the 17th. Didn't seem overly concerned that he missed out though and wasn't too bothered about a bogey at the last which meant a 64. Says the key is keeping doubles and trebles off the scorecard. It was his birthday the other day and he said his family gave him a golf bag, which he found rather amusing. It was a nice leather one though so he's happy with it.
1345: Double blow. They've run out of fish pie in the media canteen. Jason Dufner has just bogeyed the 13th.
1300: Final scores for the three-ball I followed this morning. 71 Jimenez, 72, Jacquelin, 74 Duval.
1250: Adam Scott is absolutely on fire. Five birdies in his last six holes have taken him to -7 after 16. If he can play the final two in one-under he'll have recorded the lowest round in Open history and the lowest round in the history of the majors!
1235: Go on Dufner! Birdies the par three ninth to get to -2 That's two 2s on his card now. Turns in 32.
1225: 50/1 tip Dufner still plodding along nicely. 7 straight pars since that opening birdie. Hasn't played since US Open so this is good stuff.
1220: Played here at Lytham in May and remember speculating that a big hitter like Bubba might take it apart in calm weather. Bubba currently -4 so not too surprised. The surprise is that we've got such good weather.
1205: "We've been so lucky today to have the good weather," said Adilson Da Silva after his one-under 69.
1147: Saw Simon Khan miss a tiddler earlier and drop to +2 after 4. Impressed to see him at -1 now a rash of birdies.
1145: Duval-watch. After reaching 12 in just +1, he's bogeyed 13, 14 and 15. Darn it.
1141: Media guide claims Fujimoto is 5ft 5in. Yeah, right. Maybe in stilts or in some weird futuristic Japanese shoes. Unless it was an illusion. Fujimoto is playing with Bubba and Westwood which made him look like a little competition winner.
1140: One thing I have to do now is check the height of Yoshinori Fujimoto in the official player guide. If it's above 5ft it's wrong.
1135: Latest Open betting from SkyBet. Tiger Woods, the leader at -4, is 2/1 favourite ahead of 12/1 Westwood, 18/1 Bubba and 20/1 Harrington, Donald.
1135: Be careful out there. Saw a lady being stretchered off at the fourth after slipping down a slope. Ankle ligaments said the medical staff.
1130: Poulter's Thursday Open outfit used to be tartan pants with a Claret Jug sewn into each arse cheek. Much more sober today. All in black.
1128: But not happy with my one non-American pick, Justin Rose. He's +4 after 7.
1125: Happy with the start made by my 50/1 tip Jason Dufner. A birdie at the first and then three pars. Two behind the lead, held by Tiger.
1105: The dream of Miguel Angel Jimenez being the first round leader was very much on after he rolled in a 12 footer for birdie at the fourth to get to -1 and, at that stage, just a shot back. He then hit a lovely tee-shot to the par three fifth and just missed the birdie to tie for the lead. Then the wheels came off. He bogeyed six after a poor greenside chip, saved par with an up and down from 100 feet after a loose second at the par five seventh and then made a horlicks of the eighth. First, his drive hit a tree, getting a lucky bounce down into the rough but then he smashed his second against another tree and nearly took a marshal's head off. I'm not quite sure what happened next. MAJ appeared to pick his ball up and then ask for a ruling. After a drop he then fluffed a chip short of the green and I left him with steam coming out of his ears. I presumed he'd racked up a cricket score but back in the press tent I saw that it was only a six. Not sure how to be honest!
1100: Raphael Jacquelin looked very scrappy from tee to green. Short game saved him but even so he still carded an outward 37 (+3). His tee-shot at eight disappeared under a bush while, at the third, he took two shots to get out of a pot bunker.
1055: So can David Duval still play golf? Well, he hit every fairway. Putted okay too. A few loose irons but birdie at 9 took him out in decent +1. Quite a few "he's put on a lot of weight since last time" comments.
1050: Back from a long stint out on the course. First impression: Don't go into the long stuff!
0740: Can David Duval play golf anymore? Will Jacquelin and Jimenez justify my financial faith? I'm off outside to find out.
0720: Leaderboard shows that both Lane and Driscoll took double bogey at 3. That holed played as the second hardest in 2001 so no surprise.
0710: Plan of action this morning is to follow the Duval/Jacquelin/Jimenez 3-ball at 0747. Reasons: Nostalgia (I backed Duval to win here in 2001 at 25/1 and he's still one of my favourite players despite his decline), Jacquelin I have at 150s to win, whilst I've backed Jimenez for R1 leader at 125s.
0645: Tee-times for my 5 outright picks: 9.42 Rose (33/1), 10.15 Dufner (50/1), 12.59 Curtis (100/1), 1.59 Mahan (50/1), 2.32 Fowler (40/1). R1 leader tip Jimenez (125/1) is out at 7.47.
0630: "On the tee, Barry Lane," says the familiar voice of Open starter Ivor Robson. Bazzer finds the green with the tournament's opening shot, as do playing partners James Driscoll and Garth Mulroy. None are in realistic birdie range but, lo and behold, Driscoll nails his effort from 40 feet! Mulroy just misses his 35 footer and taps in for par but Barry Lane three putts for bogey after missing a three footer.
0610: Had a relatively early night but did attend the Golf Monthly/Discover Ireland party yesterday evening. Good to see a few familiar faces and ended the night chatting to Ian Keenan, the guy from Hoylake who came through qualifying at Southport & Ainsdale. He told me he'd played a practice round with Miguel Angel Jimenez who looked in good nick. Music to my ears given that I've backed the Spaniard to be the first round leader today at 125/1.
0550: Morning and welcome to day one of the 141st Open Championship. Not sure I've ever been here this early but good to have everything in place ahead of the big tee-off at 0630. Just two other press people in the media centre right now.
