Marc Leishman was stood in his native Australia when putting for birdie on 12 a few moments ago. Oceans and countries stood between him and the cup but he manouvered his ball left-to-right and somehow drains it. A real monster putt.

Image source, EPA

Leishman is playing alongside Phil Mickelson and Lefty is struggling at three over.

I will say this for Rory McIlroy, the radar has improved immeasurably. Suddenly he is finding greens and getting birdie looks. Downhill on 14 he leaves some 20ft or so for birdie on this par three. His playing partners Charl Schwartzel and Dustin Johnson miss the green.

Fine touch from Schwartzel, clipping from the rough to leave three feet. DJ from the sand leaves twice as far for his par. Rory then, his shadow behind him as he addresses the ball, tame effort and it's par only. Johnson drops a shot too, he can't get out of the claws of pain these 200 yards have dished up.

Image source, Getty Images

Paul Casey can't help but crack out a wry smile as he wanders up to finish his opening round.

That's because the Englishman knows he's right in contention after day one as he taps in for par on the 18th.

He'll wake up on his 40th birthday - unless Matt Kuchar says otherwise - one stroke off the lead at The Open.

Adam Scott finishes on one under, while Rickie Fowler completes that particular trio with a one-over 71.

Well Matt Kuchar isn't making leading The Open very easy for himself. Finding the rough on the previous two holes, this time he's got an awkward lie in a greenside bunker.

Hunched over, feet sliding in the shallow sand, the American coaxes it on to the green with the ease of a Sunday morning stroll round Southport.

If this goes down, it'll send him into the lead. It's on its way, that looks good... oooh, not quite, just kissing the cup and staying up. Par for Kuchar.

Still in the mix. Still to drop a shot.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

On the 13th green Charl Schwartzel makes the most of a fine approach by rolling one in to get to two under. Rory McIlroy has a look at a tweet tweet too, uphill, the weight is good, the line a fraction off.

Apparently Schwartzel nailed his drive 400 yards, that's just a seven iron for me.

Immediately after taking a share of the lead, Charley Hoffman is hacking around in the sand.

He's found a bunker lurking to the left of the 16th green, but lofts out nicely to within eight feet of the flag.

The American is putting well, can he stay in contention? Not for the minute, that breaks left when the hole was calling it right.

Bogey for Hoffman, he drops one of the lead.

Image source, Gaz

We have a winner...

Craig David and Darth Vader, not sure it can get any better..

Dustin Johnson's beard game is on point - the kids even call it 'on fleek', I hear - but the same can't be said for his approach play so far today.

The world number one has the line on the 12th, but watches as his approach skips on to the far reaches of the green.

Just the one birdie to shout about so far for Johnson, and it came all the way back at the second.

Paul Casey takes full advantage of the ease of the 17th. It's a second successive birdie for the Englishman and he is heading to the 18th tee knowing another birdie will put him into a tie for the lead.

BBC Radio 5 live

you could buy an ice cream for 10p.

While John is getting hit by stray balls, Iain Carter is buying an ice cream, which cost £3 but he did ask for a flake.

Remember you can listen to live coverage from Royal Birkdale by clicking the tab at the top of this page.

Masters champion Sergio Garcia is home. And probably feeling a lot better about his opening round than he did heading to the 17th tee.

Successive birdies to finish for the Spaniard, who cards a three-over 73.

They were the first shots Garcia picked up all day.

John Murray
Radio 5 live correspondent

In all the decades I have never been hit by a golf ball but it has happened on the 11th. It was Lee Westwoods's ball that hit me. He went way off to the left on the thick rough.

From where he was he could only hack it out, we had the calls and I used my clipboard to cover me but I felt a thwack and it hit my technical equipment...on my back.

Westwood went on to bogey the hole to drop over par.

Matt Kuchar is sporting a zip-top I would have to describe as mint, it's the lightest of light greens.

Talking of greens, he's taking the scenic route to them at the minute. Another trip via the wind-battered Birkdale rough leaves the American with work to do. But work he does.

He's on, and it's another par. Kuchar is yet to drop a shot and keeps his share of the lead.

Jason Day, looking like something out of Back to the Future with his tight fitting trousers and high-top shoes, finally makes it back into the red.

A grandstand finish in front of the grandstand, fitting, as the Australian sinks a long-range putt to make birdie and move to one under.

On the 12th, Rory McIlroy is on line with his tee shot into the par-three. Some 20ft left. Nice stroke, breaks a tad too much though and it's par only.

Dustin Johnson makes another par but Charl Schwartzel is scrambling. He missed the target from the tee and his ball was buried, prompting a bit of a clunk out of the thick stuff. He has around eight feet for his save and that my friends, is how it is done. If we could all have short game like that we'd set pitch and putt courses ablaze.

Charley Hoffman has tied for the lead! It's a four-way at the top now...

He chips to within about five feet to set up the chance for back-to-back birdies and makes no mistake, a right to left break, the ball catching the edge of the cup and dropping its owner into a share of the lead.

That black cap is is pulled so far down over his eyes it's hard to pick up much emotion, but no doubt there's a glint under there.

Paul Casey claws a shot back on the 16th with his first birdie in nine holes... and if there's a hole to be hitting form on, it's the 17th.

We've already seen Andrew 'Beef' Johnston nail an eagle on the par-five 17th.

He is one of seven players so far to score an eagle or better on the hole, which is currently playing as the easiest on the course, with players averaging 4.552 shots.

And the hardest?

That honour goes to the par-four sixth, which is playing at an average of 4.525 shots.

Lee Westwood was all smiles as he made his way up to the first tee, he's not had too much to put a grin on his face since...

Until the turn, that is. Birdie at the 10th for the former world number one. He enjoys it, and so do the group following a trio that also includes Jon Rahm and Patrick Reed.

Image source, Getty Images

A colleague says Rory McIlroy is 100-1 to win the Open.

Another points out he'd probably tell you it's a good time to back him.

What do you think? Have we all lost our minds after not even a day of this tournament?

Tweet #bbcgolf.

Dustin Johnson is well placed on the 11th. Those slouched shoulders walk up to the green where his ball rests 15ft from the cup. He looks for borrow with the putt but it isn't coming.

Now, Rory McIlroy has a rare birdie look from closer in... bingo. At last he has something to feel good about.