Adam Scott is muttering under his breath. I think it is a good job the microphones are not picking up his words.

The Australian is not happy. One over for the day, he misses the seventh green as the wind picks up his ball and drags it over to the right.

Playing partner Paul Casey's 40th birthday isn't getting much better. The Englishman keeps him company over there on the 177-yard par three.

Choo choo! Rory McIlroy is already aboard the birdie train. The perfect start for the world number four, confidently drilling a six-foot putt into the centre of the can.

A few more of those will do nicely. Especially before the wind really starts flapping those flagsticks.

Image source, Reuters

Lee Westwood, the nearly man of the majors, is part of the group behind Rory McIlroy. The Englishman would be a popular winner after a record nine top-three finishes without claiming a major prize.

His opening drive clips the rough as he goes over the slight right-to-left dogleg, the ball bounding over to safety.

The galleries at the back of the first green are whooping. That's because Rory McIlroy looks a good bet for an opening birdie.

After whopping his drive the best part of 400 yards with a three wood (albeit with a gusty wind behind him... but still...), the Northern Irishman deftly knocks a chip and run that sidles up to the hole.

Sergio Garcia is having a chat with the doctor as he walks to his ball on the seventh.

Will he reveal all about how he sustained his injury? "The truth is, Doc, I clobbered a bush in anger with my nine-iron."

Or omit a couple of key details? "Not sure what happened, Doc. I swung and felt a twinge..."

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Rory McIlroy is in the house! A hero's reception for the UK's highest-ranked golfer as he strides out onto the first tee.

"Play well guys," he says. The Northern Irishman will be hoping he plays the opening nine much better than yesterday.

He starts well, lashing the big dog well down the fairway. Even the cameraman can't keep up. A short wedge in from there.

Playing partners Dustin Johnson and Charl Schwartzel decide for a more measured approach with irons off the tee.

-6 M Kuchar (after 4),

-5 J Spieth (14:48 tee-off), B Koepka (15:10)

-4 C Schwartzel (09:47)

-3 I Poulter (13:04), J Thomas (14:59), R Bland (15:32), A Connelly (10), C Hoffman (3), R Cabrera-Bello (10:20);

Selected others: -2 H Matsuyama (15:10), B Watson (10:20), S Manley (11:47);

-1 E Els (8) H Stenson (14:48), J Rahm (09:58)

+1 J Day (6), R Fowler (5), R McIlroy (09:47), D Johnson (09:47), L Westwood (09:58), D Willett (12:31), J Rose (14:59)

+2 S Garcia (6), P Mickelson (10:09), P Harrington (14:37)

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Oh dear Sergio! We've just discovered how Garcia has injured himself... by whacking a bush with his club. And that fit of anger has tweaked his right shoulder. Whoops.

We can't condone that behaviour but... it is very funny. And we've all done it.

However, it doesn't bother the Spaniard too much as he walks off the sixth with a par.

One young man going very well is Austin Connelly. After a rollercoaster of a 67 yesterday - six birdies, one bogey and one double bogey - the 20-year-old Canadian qualifier is going for a more sedate approach today.

Par. Par. Par. Par. Par. Par. Par. Par. Par.

Count them. That's nine. He is level at the turn, three under overall.

Some news for Sergio Garcia fans. Apparently the Spaniard has asked for the physio to meet him when he walks off the sixth green. Not sure what the issue is there. One to keep tabs on.

What a turnaround this is. Matt Kuchar looked to be slipping away about 20 minutes. Now he has taken the outright lead after back to back birdies.

The American lumps his ball onto the dancefloor on the 199-yard par three, nailing a lengthy putt to move a shot clear of Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka.

Two of this major-winning trio are enjoying themselves today. And it is not the one with the overall lowest score.

Zach Johnson, who won the Open two years ago at St Andrew's, is playing a different course to everyone else. The American is winning 2-0 against Birkdale today, picking up a couple of shots to take him back to three over.

Image source, PA

Matt Kuchar looked to be in bother again on three. Until he wriggled out of it. The American is short of the green after a wayward tee-shot. No problem. He just dinks on a dreamy chip, watching his ball arc round right to left and muscle its way in-between flagstick and lip.

Kuch has another bite of the lead.

Scoring is already difficult - and it is only going to get worse. Increasing winds and buckets full of rain are going to arrive at Birkdale as the day goes on.

At the moment, only five men are in the red today. Masters champ Sergio Garcia is the latest name to join that band of merry men, driving to the side of the fifth green and holing his putt from the fringe for an eagle.

Told you scoring was tricky.

Image source, Getty Images

Former Open champion Darren Clarke knows what is required today. Executing might be more difficult...

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Each member of this star-studded group ended up on the left side of the green, leaving them with birdie putts that almost require binoculars to see the hole.

All give it a good shove, only Fowler able to convert at the second attempt.

That's back to back bogeys for Casey, who drops three shots off the lead. Not the start he wanted to his 40th birthday...

Image source, Reuters

"Fore!" Spectators scamper as Matt Kuchar bellows in their direction on three. The overnight co-leader has just dropped one shot, this could be another...

Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson are going through their paces ahead of their 09:47 tee-time.

McIlroy appears to have a ruler out on the putting surface to line up his efforts. It is not working. He's missed the right lip with all of them.

Get the bad ones out early Rory. That's what my dad used to tell me.

Three's a crowd. So Matt Kuchar has dropped a pace back.

The American is the first of our co-leaders to pound the Birkdale fairways today, and he is the first to slip up.

Getting up and down on the second did prove difficult, his chip ending up short and his putt not able to save him.

Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka are out on their own at the top of the leaderboard.

Image source, Getty Images

"It is a strong wind," Paul Casey moans as he knocks his second shot towards the third green.

The wind is breezing in from the right, dragging both Casey and then Adam Scott left. The pin position today is on the right.

Fowler tries to do the same as his cohorts and hold the ball, again Mother Nature has other ideas. You could throw a blanket over all three balls.