It can all go quickly wrong, as Jordan Spieth is finding out. On the welcoming par-five fifth, he tanked his second shot into thick rough and is now on the green for five. He has 10 feet for a bogey. Frustrating for the American who was two under.

Rob Hodgetts
BBC Sport at Hoylake

"Chatting with Royal Liverpool head pro John Heggarty in the build-up and he told me there are three keys to doing well here:

First, you need to be in total control of your ball flight - so not just hitting it high and low but able to control it in the crosswinds.

Second, you need that real links feel around the greens - employing the chip-and-run or using a putter or even hybrid from off the putting surface to feed the ball in.

And finally, and 'absolutely definitely', a straight ball hitter off the tee to find the fairway. 'You'd rather be 40 yards back and in the fairway than 40 yards up and in the semi or the rough,' he said. 'Of course, if your driver is going straight you've got the best of both worlds'."

Image source, Getty Images

A birdie three for Rickie Fowler on the eighth as he joins the leaders on three under. The popular American has been close to winning a major, coming second in the US Open and fifth in the Masters earlier this year. Fowler's best Open finish is fifth in 2011 but he will be hoping to break this duck at Hoylake.

The first group are on the final hole with joint leader Robert Karlsson looking for a birdie to take the outright lead.

The 18th at Hoylake is the only Open course to end with a par five.

Rory McIlory is on the green in two on the par-five fifth after a huge drive down the fairway. He has left himself in the region of 30 feet for eagle.

Image source, PA

Huge cheers from the partisan crowd as local boy John Singleton drives straight down the fairway on the first.

"It means everything to me," he said. "You dream of playing the Open growing up, but you don't actually believe you are going to do it. And then to qualify at Hillside and to be playing at home, this all feels like the Olympics to me. Thursday will be some day. Friends and family all there. It will be one of the greatest days of my life.

"I have to try to somehow compete with these guys. As much as I completely and utterly think Tiger is the greatest player ever I have to rein that in a bit and treat it like any other tournament and just try to compete. It's an important springboard for my career."

Image source, AP

Sergio Garcia fans will be starting the dream this week could be the week the Spaniard breaks his major championship duck. Three birdies in the first seven holes see him in a share of the lead with Brooks Koepka and Robert Karlsson on three under.

In all, 23 of the 63 players on course are under par in what could be described as a kind start weather wise. I thought links golf was meant to be hard?

Image source, AP

What a story this is. Local golfer John Singleton makes his living driving a forklift truck in a resin factory some 10 minutes from Hoylake but came through qualifying to land a surprise place in the Open.

His boss at Advanced Electrical Varnishes gave him two weeks off to prepare and declared today a day's holiday at the factory for those heading to Hoylake to offer support.

The 30-year-old is in his second attempt as a professional golfer having cut his first short nine years ago due to cruciate ligament injuries.

The minimum purse of £2500 coming to him this week will certainly be welcome - with his previous biggest golfing cheque £280. How far can they fairytale go?

Singleton tees off at 10:32 BST and you can read his story here.

Players are burning up the fifth hole so far. The par five has given up 21 birdies to the 45 players through.

The par fives are crucial here. Tiger Woods played them at 14 under when he won here in 2006.

Graeme McDowell, external posted these photos on Facebook: "Round One pin positions here at The Open Championship."

Image source, Graeme McDowell

Image source, Graeme McDowell

The crowds are already looking good on the opening morning of the Open at Hoylake with the sun shining brightly.

The attendance for all practice days was 42,805, compared to the 33,600 at Lytham in 2012. At Hoylake in 2006, the practice rounds attracted 51,681.

A few whistles and roars from the galleries as Tiger makes his first birdie of the day at the par-five fifth.

It has been a difficult start for the former number one, after two bogeys on the first two holes, but he will be feeling an awful lot better now after rolling in from five feet to move to one over.

Henrik Stenson follows Woods in for birdie to move to level par.

Rory McIlroy (-1) needs all his strength to get the ball out of some nasty looking rough stuff on the fourth. He does well to just about get the ball onto the green. A huge putt awaits for a birdie though.

And it's a three-way lead. Sweden's Robert Karlsson flops a delightful wedge out of the rough to within five feet and rolls home for birdie on the par-five fifth.

The approach deserved an end product and he now sits on three under with Edoardo Molinari and Sergio Garcia.

Ian Thorburn:, external Think Mickelson will win again as he is the best shot maker in the game but would love Garcia to break his duck.

Tiger Woods is in a good position for his first birdie of the day at the par-five fifth. The American is just a few yards short of the green with a bunker between him and the hole with his second shot. He needs something to happen as he sits back on two over.

Who do you think will win the Open? Tweet us who and why on #bbcgolf, text 81111 or comment on the BBC Sport Facebook page, external or Google+ page., external

Winner: Justin Rose

"It's wide open and no obvious favourite sticks out. I'll pick Rose because he is the form guy but the law of averages says he is unlikely to win two weeks in a row and his last three events."

Big week for: Rory McIlroy

You can see more predictions from our golf team and journalists from around the world on the BBC Sport website.

Image source, Getty Images

So we know all about the need to adjust to links golf and on his Open debut, Australia's Matt Jones was four over par after three holes. He is now on the 15th hole and level par. A run of four birdies in six holes has wrestled him back to something acceptable.

Who says it takes a long time to learn how to handle links?