Australian Adam Scott has taken the early lead at the Open Championship after shooting a course record-equalling 64 on Thursday.
Scott, who is 15/2 with
bet365 to win his first Major title at Royal Lytham & St Annes, rolled in eight birdies to head the field on six-under-par, dropping a shot at the last to finish on a rare negative note.
Afterwards, a happy Scott told the BBC:
“I am very happy with that round. It is a great start to the week and better than I expected myself this morning.
“We had ideal conditions and we don't know what will be thrown at us the rest of the week. I hit some good shots but the conditions were perfect.”
One shot behind Scott is 1999 Open champion Paul Lawrie, who fired a fine 65, and the Scot stands alongside American Zach Johnson and Belgium's Nicolas Colsaerts on 5-under par.
Lawrie is now 16/1 to win a second Open crown, while former Masters champion Johnson is 14/1.
Reigning Masters champion Bubba Watson started well with a 3-under par 67, with Ernie Els matching the American's score, as did Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell.
Tiger Woods, 11/2 to win his 15th Major, is also on 3-under having made a flying start with four birdies in his opening seven holes.
He told reporters afterwards: “I got off to a quick start and I hit the ball well all day. I was just lacking a little bit of pace on the greens coming home.
“Every putt I hit was on line, except for the one I hit on 12. They were dying off the front of the lip so I needed to hit the putts a little bit firmer.”
Defending champion Darren Clarke suffered a disappointing day playing with Johnson, ending with a 6-over par round of 76, while Lee Westwood is 3-over par after a 73.
Westwood, who is still seeking a Major tournament title, said: “I was struggling in this thing at little bit at the moment, and the start was a bit of a lie, really.
“It was nice to birdie the first two holes, but I don't feel in control of the ball at the moment.
“And you get found out pretty quickly around an Open Championship golf course, no matter what the conditions are like.”
