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"It's a good time to back me," said McIlroy in reacting to his 20-1 odds.

I did Rory. The fact you've started bogey-par-bogey perhaps show it wasn't a "good time" ultimately. His latest drop sees a putt whitsle past, McIlroy pays for a loose second wide of the green.

Dustin Johnson saves par, as does Charl Schwartzel.

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England's wait for an Open champion has dragged on since 1992, when Nick Faldo claimed the title. This will blow your mind... Jimmy Nail was number one in the charts with 'Ain't No Doubt'. Jimmy Nail, remember him?

Anyway, Lee Westwood is possibly the man who many have looked to to fill the void and the 23-time European Tour winner has knocked on the door, placing third in 2011 and 2009.

"I'm 44 and you think a little bit differently as you get older, but hopefully I can think a bit more wisely and use a bit of cunning and guile on the golf course," he says.

"One of the times I've come close to winning was Turnberry and Tom Watson lost in a play-off at 59," he added. "Last time it was held around here in 2008 Greg Norman made a run at it at 53."

Lee Westwood has found one of those bunkers skirting the edge of the green at the par-four second, but he's clipped out superbly - nudging his third shot to within a few feet of the pin.

That's easy for the former world number one. A good recovery, a solid par.

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Adam Scott tucks one away on the eighth to continue his strong start at Birkdale.

He's out alongside England's Paul Casey, who is three under, and Rickie Fowler.

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Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy making a pig's ear of three. DJ from the bunker to the left of the fairway smashes over the green, while Rory nudges his left and it painfully runs down a slope away from the dancefloor.

Charl Schwartzel is up on the dancefloor bopping like he's at a silent disco as he will have a look at birdie.

Anyone ever been to a silent disco? Bizarre.

Tom Fordyce
Chief sports writer at Royal Birkdale

A lot of weight, a lot of power. Jon Rahm has a touch of the Happy Gilmores about him. It's a heavyweight trio we have here.

A cumulative weight of 45 stone, so if the wind does get up you get the idea none of them will be taking a backwards step.

It seems Austin Connelly is immune to the live text commentator's curse... the youngster has just birdied the 13th to climb even further up the Open leaderboard on his major debut.

He's three under, and two off the lead.

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Ladies and gentleman he averages 312 yards off the tee this season and has already won three tournaments this year. He's the world's best player by ranking and is of course a major winner. Number one on the PGA Tour for finding the green in regulation...

Dustin Johnson... come on down...

The big man, good old DJ. His season looked more beautiful than a Picasso for a long while but it's taken a slight downturn, so much so that he's put his feet up since exiting the US Open in June.

Dustin Johnson is off and running. A beautifully shaped iron into the second green rolls a little to leave just three feet for birdie.

Rory McIlroy cannot make his birdie putt from range, while Charl Schwartzel follows birdie on one with a solid par.

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Conor McNamara
BBC Radio 5 live commentator

Rickie Fowler is not tall, he doesn't have a particularly distinctive hairstyle, but you spot him immediately.

The reason you know it's Rickie Fowler is a) there's a big crowd and b) there's a young crowd.

If you are looking at how to get the young generation involved in golf, look at what Rickie Fowler has got and bottle that.

He really does draw the attention. So many kids were absolutely freaking out when they got a glimpse of him in the Ryder Cup last year

He knows how to plot his way around the links courses as well, he knows how to get stuck in - he's not just a fashion icon.

Paul Casey started last month's US Open hot but faded when it mattered. Here he is off to a flyer again, rolling in three birdies in seven holes. The latest is a steady put of 10ft or so which never looks in doubt.

Matt Kuchar is threatening to blow the sky off Birkdale though, four under through seven. Kooch needs to settle down, this is supposed to be hard.

Rickie Fowler it putting down the hill on seven, a long way to go. Makes it look like shelling peas to register a two on this 177-yard par three.

Jon Rahm has done well to snaffle a par after that wayward approach, the Spaniard showing some solid putting on the first green.

Lee Westwood opted to take the direct route, but with the same outcome. He opens with a par.

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Austin Connelly. You'd be forgiven for not having heard of the 20-year-old.

Not only is Connelly a rare breed - a Canadian with a Texan accent, work that out? - he's also making his first major start....

And it's going pretty well. He's two under through 12 to sit tied seventh.

Image source, Gardner Thorpe

Gardner Thorpe on Twitter: Mark Harris with Chris Evans.

My eyes....

Keep them coming to #bbcgolf. If you're just joining us, we've been inspired into asking you for your good and bad golf attire as a result of what Justin Thomas and Jason Day have on.

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Ryan McCarthy is the world number 1,357 and on arriving in the UK for his first Open, found his airline had lost his clubs. It's safe to say, this looked like being a tough week.

But then Jason Day shouted his name and before he knew it, Tasmania's McCarthy was playing a practice round with the world number six.

McCarthy, who once played junior golf with Day, said: “He was making fun of me because he flies privately and he’s never lost his clubs.

"The whole experience was awesome, it really made the week a little bit more special, and it made me more comfortable too actually.”

Jason Day pulls howls from the spectators lining the eighth fairway as his iron from the nice grass plops down three inches from the hole. I say dear scoreboard, please register a birdie.

Jon Rahm nestles an approach into the longer grass, Lee Westwood takes note and coaxes his effort right up to the edge of the green - and with that, a big smile breaks out on the 44-year-old's face.

Talk about relaxed.

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Dear men, Rory McIlroy has had a nightmare start. His pulled drive settles in rough and he gets a flyer out of there, going way right of the green. He will have to chip from what looks like an allotment - awkward stance too - through the green. He needs to hole out from off the green for par. It's uphill and woeful, resting at the top of the slope, barely on the putting surface.

While all this is happening, he watches Charl Schwartzel drain a 40 footer for birdie.

Back to McIlroy, I'm losing count... 15-20ft from the fringe and... yes. A big put and a great bogey if such a thing exists.

Image source, .

Jon Rahm's name is a hot one in the game right now.

The Spaniard, 22, has enjoyed a remarkable improvement in his ranking over the last couple of years, coming from outside the world's top 1,000 to now sit seventh.

His Spanish roots have seen him compared to the late Seve Ballesteros but this week Rahm said: "If I do a quarter of what Seve did, I'd probably be satisfied."

He is also working with a former bomb disposal expert, external Joseba del Carmen, who is now his mental coach. Del Carmen is expected to work at Southampton Football Club this season as he has previously done work for the club's new manager Mauricio Pellegrino.