There are 17 former champions in this field and we are about to see a cluster of them. Paul Lawrie is out at 08:14 with Padraig Harrington and Louis Oosthuizen following 11 minutes later.

Oosthuizen is a danger here. Like Leishman - who has started well - he lost out in a play-off to Zach Johnson last year. Oosthuizen gives himself chances but sometimes the putter goes cold.

Darren Clarke lofts one into the green on one and his ball just skips past the hole, a great line and almost a corker. Over to Monty on six who pitches one a foot past the hole and spins it back to miss by a few inches. That will be a birdie for Monty and takes him back to red numbers, Clarke will make do with par.

Jim Furyk on one is sporting a kagool, goodness knows what he will need tomorrow if the rain does come. Monster putt from Furyk. The standard raise of the hand as the applause comes. Birdie.

Can someone please make Sang-hee Lee a Wikipedia page please? The guy is putting from the clouds and draining everything to move to three under and lead the Open.

Come on people, someone deliver the goods. What a putt his effort on four is, just like the monster he drained on the second.

Image source, Google

Sadly Monty missed his five footer for birdie on five so the charge has ended after back-to-back birdies. We still have Sanghee Lee and Marc Leishman at the top of the scorers so far but Leishman just plummeted one into the thick stuff off the tee. 

Get the lawnmower out Marc. There's no fun to be had over there, only hard work.

Here's to you Darren. We love a straight tee shot up the middle on one. Nice work sir.

Jim Furyk is alongside Europe's Ryder Cup captain today. Furyk is a major winner and you just get the feeling the way he grinds like the best of them means he suits links golf.

Furyk is a master at digging in, battling through struggles and lingering around the leaderboard like a nuisance. I've heard a few people tip him this week. He pushed an iron into the first cut to get going.

Now it would be unfair for me to say that Darren Clarke has partied so hard since winning the Open in 2011 that his career on the course has nose dived. But consider this, he has not placed higher than 21st in a major since and he's not won a tournament.

That wonderful day at Royal St.George's gave so much but seemed to take something too.

Image source, Getty Images

One thing it seemed to begin to take was weight from Clarke. He looks like many 47-year-old men can only dream of now, leaner, fitter, more of an athlete.

Such weight loss has played havoc with the swing. So can he re-calibrate this weekend and give us more magic?

He's on the tee...

Image source, Getty Images

"Woo hoo, go New Zealand", shouts a fan as Danny Lee taps in a birdie on one. I think he took driver as he was close to the green when striking his second blow.

Lee is one to watch. I saw him dig in to win a four-way play-off for his first victory on the PGA Tour last year. At just 25 he has a great future and maybe a major in him.

Monty is just turning it on now. He sticks one to five feet off the tee on five. Joyous.

Luke Donald is chipping from some lengthy rough on four, this is a par five and a real scoring chance. The chip is poor though and only makes the fringe, he just didn't get hold of it, tentative.

Marc Leishman like Donald is one under but he's barely visible in the bunker as he looks over the top of the lip at the green. Magic stuff from the Aussie who went so close here last year in a play-off. He leaves a few feet for birdie. That ball had some serious spin on it. 

Colin Montgomerie has a 12ft birdie putt to get back to level... nice weight, nice line, yes Monty. 

Monty's on fire, Royal Troon is terrified.

Just a warning to any Joost Luiten fans out there. The Dutchman played with 'wild thing' John Daly yesterday. I'm not sure if Daly parties as hard these days. If so then Joost may be a little tender today.

Luiten is out at 13:04 BST, Daly - winner in 1995 - at 12:09.

Will he snap clubs? Will he throw one into the Firth of Clyde? Maybe both.

Image source, Getty Images

We all know who Sang-Hee Lee is don't we? No? Well listen up folks as he goes birdie-birdie to lead the Open Championship. A sumptuous long putt, packed with break, drops on the second and he stays calm and relaxed.

Lee is number 346 in the world and got into the Open by placing second at a tournament in Japan. Nerves? What nerves?

Postage stamp, Black Rock, The Monk, The Fox, Rabbit, these wonderfully names holes are out there to be attacked today compared to tomorrow. We've already brought you today's weather, tomorrow as you can see looks grim.

Benjamin Watts: I'm already envisaging a rather unproductive day at work today...

Tweet us your thoughts on who you think will win ladies and gents. Or maybe just tell us how much you love this tournament. We are on #bbcgolf.

Irons on the front nine off the tee, driver on the back nine as things get longer and much, much tougher. All the while hoping the rain and wind stay away. Thursday is an open goal folks, don't miss...

Luke Donald has his customary visor on. Now you see, there's a man who respects his follicles. Too many of these players sell out, sporting a posh peak cap for sponsorship reasons while slowly killing off hair growth. If there's one thing watching golf has taught me it's that wearing a cap is asking for trouble.

Anyway, Luke is a little keen on three as his ball skips through the green and leaves a chip.

American Ryan Palmer cards the fifth birdie of the day on one, these players are tearing up the opening drag and hello, Monty rolls one in dead weight on three for birdie, back to one over.

I must say, given what Monty did on one, this image has just jumped out of the thousands on social media. 

Troon can do that to you...

Image source, Getty Images

Who will lift the Claret Jug on Sunday?

Chances are the winner could come from one of the next four groups to get under way.

You've got three former world number ones, the current world number one, the reigning Masters champion and a two-time Masters champion...

09:03: Jordan Spieth (US), Justin Rose (Eng), Shane Lowry (Ire)

09:14: Ross Fisher (Eng), Steve Stricker (US), Vijay Singh (Fij)

09:25: Danny Willett (Eng), Rickie Fowler (US), Jason Day (Aus)

09:36: Rory McIlroy (NI), Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn), Bubba Watson (US)

Image source, Getty Images

Now that Monty has got things rolling, here's a few more names to look out for in the next hour, including former champion and fellow Scot Sandy Lyle, Scottish Open winner Alex Noren and Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke.

06:35:Colin Montgomerie (Sco), Marc Leishman (Aus), Luke Donald (Eng)

06:46: Steven Alker (NZ), Marcus Fraser (Aus), Sanghee Lee (Kor)

06:57: Jeunghun Wang (Kor), Jon Rahm (Spa), Ryan Palmer (US)

07:08: Sandy Lyle (Sco), Scott Gregory (a) (Eng), David Duval (US)

07:19: Richie Ramsay (Sco), Danny Lee (NZ), Harris English (US)

07:30: Alex Noren (Swe), Steven Bowditch (Aus), Kevin Chappell (US)

07:41: Darren Clarke (NI), Thorbjorn Olesen (Den), Jim Furyk (US)

Image source, PA

Remember, this course is all about nailing the opening nine holes and then hanging on to your treasured birdies with all your might as the back stretch try to take blows off you.

Monty's double on one is pretty much the exact opposite of what's desired. 

Still, he's bunker free and has a long putt for birdie on two... it doesn't take the break but a tap-in par should settle the 53-year-old down.

Dig in Monty, dig in.

Image source, PA

Oh Monty. Monty, what's this? You do know how a fairytale is meant to go right?

All the build-up, all the chatter on how this course was as close to home as your own sofa and yet you start like this.

Solid drive, wedge into a pot bunker, failed escape, wayward escape, chip and run, putt. A six, a double bogey.

How does that feel in the gut Monty? A sickener. Let Luke Donald and Marc Leishman make it feel even worse by draining solid birdie putts. No room for sentiment anymore, kill or be eaten, it's competition time.

Image source, Getty Images