Johnson sets opening pace; India’s Kapur 2 strokes behind

DPA/London

The former Masters champion played smart golf to finish on 5-under-par, one better than Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello and former champion Mark O’Meara.

India’s Shiv Kapur was a further stroke behind with a fine 3-under round laced with six birdies. But for a double bogey on the par-4 tenth, Kapur could have been sitting at the top.

World number one and three-time Open champion Tiger Woods was in touch after a 2-under-par 69, the same score as Phil Mickelson and Angel Cabrera, while Masters champion Adam Scott finished level par.

But Rory McIlroy is already looking likely to miss the halfway cut after an 8-over-par 79, after which he described his mental state as “unconscious”.

With temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius, the Scottish links course was unusually fast and became faster throughout the day as the greens dried out further.

The early starters had the best of the conditions. Most of the top 10 began their round in the morning.

Spain’s Cabrera-Bello and Miguel Jimenez were the early pace-setters, with 49-year-old, cigar-smoking, red wine-loving Jimenez reaching 5-under-par at one stage before finishing on 3-under.

But the 29-year-old Cabrera-Bello went one better with a birdie at the 17th to finish on 4-under, one behind Johnson, who was accurate off the tee and deadly with his irons and putter as he found four birdies, one eagle and just one bogey.

“I hit solid shots and putted really, really well,” Johnson said. “I appreciate what this tournament demands and it’s probably my favourite tournament to play. You have to have every shot and it magnifies one’s weaknesses.

“This is my 10th Open and you’ve got to utilise that experience and embrace the positives you’ve had in the past. The pins were in very difficult positions, although not shocking. And I’m not that surprised, it’s the Open and we want difficult.”

Cabrera-Bello, a prolific winner in his junior days, said the un-Scottish weather had helped him. “It’s still sunny and that’s good for someone coming from the Canary Islands,” Cabrera-Bella said. “I’ve been enjoying every second of the day since I got here and this is as good as start as I could have hoped for. It’s good to see Miguel up there with me (because) he’s been a big influence on me and has always been very helpful to the young guys on Tour.”

O’Meara, the winner in 1998, was one of the few later starters to excel, birdieing the last for his best round in an Open since 2009.

Jimenez birdied four of his first five holes and was 5-under at the turn before a couple of bogeys dropped him back to 3-under.

Another former winner, Tom Lehman, and fellow Americans Brandt Snedeker and Dustin Johnson also finished 3-under while Mickelson, fresh from winning the Scottish Open last weekend, was 2-under alongside Woods, who made a strong start in his bid for a first Major win in five years.

The American began by duck-hooking his drive at the first, but improved as his round progressed. Four birdies on the back nine, with just one dropped shot, lifted him alongside Mickelson and Todd Hamilton.