Leader Webb Simpson with a birdie putt on the par-three 16th. Off it goes, covering the 15 feet separating the club head from the hole in slick style.

The ball perches on the rim, has a little look down the drain and stays on terra firma.

Close, very close.

Alex Bysouth
BBC Sport at Royal Portrush

Rory’s walking with a bit more purpose now. He had been trailing behind, shoulders slunk. But now there’s time to acknowledge the crowd, even a wry smile from the Northern Irishman.

Eddie Pepperell is home.

The Englishman shipped a couple of strokes on his way back to base, but a score of 70 is a pretty decent staging post for the rest of his weekend.

Defending champion Francesco Molinari isn't quite so lucky.

After his shot to the green fell short, the Italian cannot recover and is hit with a double bogey.

Life is a rollercoaster for Shane Lowry on the 17th.

He found himself waist-deep in rough, then his next shot bounced towards a bunker... but then bounced away again!

The Irishman had an absolutely huge birdie putt and the line was perfect. It just pulled up short, though. After all that it's just a par. Phew.

David Duval's score on the par-five seventh has finally been clarified on the official leaderboard.

It was initially recorded as an eight. It was then corrected to a 15. But finally, the match referee settled on 13. That's a snowman over par. And considering he had a snowman eight on the par-four fifth...this is especially for you David...

Image source, Getty Images

Xander Schauffele was three under after five holes.

He isn't any more. By a long way.

A double bogey on 11 sees him slip out of the red numbers and to one over.

Webb Simpson with a knee-knocker of a par putt on 15. Eight to 10 feet on it by my reckoning.

That hopped down the drain as happily as Mario off to collect some gold coins.

Francesco Molinari undercooked his second shot on the par-four eighth and is left to chip up a huge bank.

The defending champion just about gets it to the top (it really is huge) and his par putt curls way right of the hole. A bogey isn’t even guaranteed here.

He may not be in the best form this year, but Phil Mickelson still draws the crowds.

The American is +4 for the day after a bogey on the 16th.

Alistair Bruce-Ball
BBC Radio 5 live commentator at Royal Portrush

It's quiz time - please don't google the answers. Use your own knowledge.

Can you name the 11 Irish - Northern and Republic - players to have represented the European Ryder Cup team since 1979 when the team switched from Great Britain and NI.

Answers later...

The hole which saw David Duval card a 13 gives up a birdie for Rory McIlroy.

That's golf folks!

Rory is four over after seven holes and at last he can feel good about something.

If you are just tuning in, Rory carded an eight to drop four shots on the first hole.

Alex Bysouth
BBC Sport at Royal Portrush

Wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of Gary Woodland’s caddie. He hissed at a photographer to get out of the US Open champion’s eye line earlier and just ushered Rory McIlroy back to avoid his charge’s recovery shot. Assertive, but fair.

Webb Simpson under-cooks his approach to 15. Could have done with one more club out the bag...

Here we go then, video evidence of Rory McIlroy's quadruple-bogey opening to his round.

Henrik Stenson with his second on the par four 11th...a lovely platform to build a score from slap-bang in the middle of the fairway.

Does he not like that. The Swede hacks the heel of his club into the turf as he watches the ball in flight.

It nosedives into the thick stuff.

Can McDowell do any better? Oh yes, he can. A dart to the heart of the green.

David Duval had opened his account with two birdies this morning. He followed that with two pars.

We're not quite sure what happened on the fifth to make him have to hit three balls off the tee. Most players have been driving the green, or hitting an iron and a short wedge into that green today.

A quadruple bogey was followed by a bogey on the par-three sixth.

And then came the new seventh hole. Details are still a little murky but the Open Championship leaderboard is showing a 15 (FIFTEEN).

We'll see if we can unravel exactly what happened there.

The free-roaming Beagle mentioned at 11:28 BST?

We have video...

It looked like it might have been a wayward tee shot on the par-three 16th from Shane Lowry.

But the Irishman's chip on is an absolute beauty - once in a lifetime stuff for us amateurs. He taps in for par. Still tied for second.

Romain Langasque is back in the clubhouse, probably kicking back with a lime cordial and a packet of cheese and onion.

The Frenchman can reflect on a very solid first day's work. He is the clubhouse leader after carded a two-under 69.