Brian Harman's approach to the 10th lands well short of the green but it's on line and gets a nice hop forward - and settles about five feet from the cup.

I think they call it a "member's bounce", don't they? Maybe that was a "defending champion's" bounce?

Catriona Matthew
Captain of Team Europe at the 2019 & 2021 Solheim Cup

Tyrrell Hatton has played very well on this front nine. First green missed on the ninth, and a delightful little chip and run with his roots coming in links golf.

I have been impressed with how he’s played so far.

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Unusually errant off the tee from Rory McIlroy and he has no view of the green from the chunky fescue his ball is stuck in.

No fear though for the Northern Irishman as he crashes it out and muscles his ball to the fringe. A brave - and well executed - recovery.

He closes his front nine with a par. Tyrrell Hatton in the best shape of this trio at level par for the tournament.

Robert MacIntyre found himself in some mischief off the 11th tee, meaning he had to chip out sideways onto the fairway from the bushes and ends up dropping a shot.

What a start for Portsmouth golfer Sam Hutsby in his first Open.

He said earlier this week he was "ecstatic" to be here at Royal Troon.

I imagine he's pretty thrilled with birdies at the third and fourth to join the early leaders.

Justin Thomas has six birdies on his card today.

Pretty good going.

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I said that Justin Thomas would be contemplating those tricky finishing holes.

What do I know? He’s just lasered his tee shot onto the 17th green, pin high and just eight feet for birdie.

And he's sunk it.

JT back into a share of the lead.

Tom English
BBC Sport at Royal Troon

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Tom Watson was listening on the radio while driving around London. Jack Nicklaus was sitting at home in Florida glued to his television.

Nicklaus said it was rare he would watch all 18 holes of a tournament, but this one was different.

The stars of the Duel In The Sun at Turnberry in 1977, to that point the greatest final-round head-to-head in the history of The Open, were now as gripped as the rest of us by its successor - High Noon at Royal Troon in 2016.

On the day, Henrik Stenson's 63 beat Phil Mickelson's 65. The golf was from another world and the rest were nowhere.

JB Holmes was 14 shots back in third, similar to Hubert Green who was a distant third in 1977 - 11 behind the victorious Watson.

In his bewilderment, Holmes would have been entitled to repeat the famous Green line four decades on.

"I won," joked Green of 1977. "I don't know what game those other two guys were playing."

Read more from Tom here

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Henrik Stenson, the winner when The Open was last held at Royal Troon at 2016, is about to get his first round under way in the 2024 event.

Stenson and Phil Mickelson were involved in one of the most outstanding duels in Open history eight years ago, with the Swede's final round of 63 enough to secure his first, and so far only, major.

Always an unlikely birdie chance for Bryson DeChambeau who has yet to get better than a par so far today.

It comes up short and he walks off 10 without change.

His edginess from the earlier holes though seems to be catching though - both Tom Kim and Ludvig Aberg have both dropped shots here.

Like Jon Rahm one hole up the road, Brian Harman produces an excellent par save from the side of the green to reach the turn one over par.

Not such good news for Norway's Viktor Hovland, who is back at two over after a bogey on the ninth.

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At 06:35 this morning, Justin Leonard, the 1997 Open champion at Royal Troon, hit the opening tee shot. He was followed by fellow American and 2004 victor here in Ayrshire, Todd Hamilton.

The third man in the group, Scotland's Jack McDonald, received the biggest cheer. He's a local lad who came through qualifying just up the road at Dundonald to play in his first Open.

And, although he finished over par, he outplayed the former Open champions.

"You practice for those moments," he said. "I was delighted to just be there, the feelings of the first tee shot were really cool

"Standing on the first tee and you're just looking at the [full] grandstand, and it was pretty full all the way down the left side [of the fairway] and at the green, and you're just like, this is brilliant.

"The conditions were pretty tough, especially going out, because usually there's usually a little bit of help with the wind, and then it's a hold-on on the back nine.

"But the front nine was playing pretty solid today, and then the back, it was a little bit easier, obviously, with it being downwind."

A decent birdie chance for Justin Thomas at the par-five 16th and it looks like he's about to take it, only for his putt to not turn at the last.

He grimaces slightly as he goes to collect his ball with two tricky holes to finish his opening round.

Another safe enough par for Justin Rose on the long par-three 17th as he fires his tee shot on to the back of the green - almost hitting the pin as it scooted along the putting surface.

He gets down in two from about 35 feet away to ensure there's still no blemish on his excellent scorecard in these conditions.

Line of sight relief for Bryson DeChambeau after his erratic drive ends up partially blocked by the grandstand.

He can at least get it out of the rough from there and he's achieved that remarkably well to pick out the green.

Twenty four feet is at least a sniff of a birdie.

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If Rory McIlroy wants to escape the teeth of the eighth hole, he needs to get this 14 footer to drop for bogey.

On its way and its pace is perfect but the line is just askew. It misses and he’s swallowing a double.

Tough to take after an almost ideal tee shot.

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Tiger Woods: "There are some good holes - a few at Muirfield, the 'Postage Stamp' at Troon, one at Birkdale - but nothing as iconic as the first and 18th at St Andrews."

Bob MacIntyre: "Troon, the 'Postage Stamp'. It's 100 yards and half the field miss it. It's mayhem. Portrush is one of my favourite places in the world, though, so potentially the new 18th there because it demands everything from you."

Paul Casey: "The 'Postage Stamp', for me, because I like short holes. It's the possibilities, the variation in score, the chance of a double bogey or a birdie, right there, just a millimetre difference."

Ian Poulter: "Maybe the 'Postage Stamp' - a wonderful par three that causes carnage. Howling wind, tiny little green, and you've got wedge in hand. It's simply brilliant."

Shane Lowry: "I go straight back to Portrush, but the short par threes are always good on the rota. The 'Postage Stamp' at Troon springs to mind."

Other candidates for golf's best holes over here

Update on Rory McIlroy's putt incoming...

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Beautifully done by Jon Rahm, who saves par on 10 with a well-struck putt. He was in a bit of bother after two, but that excellent chip helps him stay at level par.

Brian Harman, who has now dispensed with his rain jacket to reveal a green polo shirt, shouts his own name in frustration as his approach to the ninth drifts down the slope and off the green.

Ooof, Jon Rahm almost chips in from the right of the 10th green! He charges up the bank that he's just played up and watches his ball lip out six feet away from the cup.