The Open 2011: Gary Boyd still loving his first Open

Boyd says the Sandwich course is one of the toughest he's played in the wet

Gary Boyd took a battering from the Kent weather as he slumped to a third-round six-over 76 at Sandwich.

But the Oxfordshire golfer insists that even on a wet Saturday at Sandwich he is still loving his first experience of an Open Championship.

"I'm around for the weekend at my first major and I'm enjoying every minute," the man from Banbury told BBC Sport.

"The golf course is one of the toughest I've played in this condition, but it's just great to be at The Open," he said.

Boyd went out in 38, dropping shots at the 3rd, the 4th and the 8th, before coming back in 38 too, running up bogeys at 10, 11 and 16.

"It's the survival of the fittest out there," added Boyd. "Six over is not far off level par today.

"Hitting a three wood only about 180 yards is never nice. And the main priority is just trying to keep doubles off your card."

Boyd did not even feel slighted by the mid-afternoon change in weather at Royal St George's that made things slightly easier for the later groups.

"It's cleared up now and we've had a bit of bad luck with the draw," he admitted.

"But if I'd scored four under for the first two days like they have then I'd have had a later teetime and got better weather too."