Some of you, including Andrew Stead, have reacted to an image we were sent earlier of a gigantic bunker.

Andrew, kudos to you for this as it's a monster. If you stayed out of it you deserve a Claret Jug of your own. I mean, it's just absurd.

"Go on mate!" comes a cry from the crowd as Beef Johnston's uphill putt circles round the rim and eventually drops in for a birdie on the par-five seventh.

Two off the lead.

James Smith has been good enough to tweet us a warning of how conditions can change at Royal Portrush. Tremendous stuff.

He tweets: I had the fortune to play Royal Portrush in 2016 and started out under clear blue skies and in short-sleeves. This is how I looked on the 16th, after conditions changed a tad.

Image source, James Smith

Shane Lowry hits a decent second shot to the 10th green. Could have done with a bit more on it, but it's a par four so he should be alright.

Branden Grace does a better job of it. His approach bounces and lands right next to the hole. Birdie chance.

But wait! Lowry's putt turns right at the death and he takes the lead. Grace taps his in, too.

Alex Bysouth
BBC Sport at Royal Portrush

Image source, BBC Sport

It’s a not a major if you don’t spot some Americans dressed head to toe in red, white and blue.

These guys have come over from Alabama and Michigan, and played the popular County Down course earlier in the week.

Rory McIlroy takes one hand off the club after a hard swing but it's not panic stations, he was simply hacking out and that ball comes to rest near the green. It's a par five so he has a chance to get up and down for birdie here.

Gary Woodland alongside him arrows one at the green with his second but it's long. I wish I could be long with two shots on a 574-yard hole.

The McIlroy memes have started flowing. This from ESPN's Randy Scott...

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

Rory’s tee shot on one broke a woman’s mobile phone

Sergio Garcia has come to life towards the end of the front nine.

Birdies on the seventh and eighth help the Spaniard to get up to tied fifth.

Alistair Bruce-Ball
BBC Radio 5 live commentator at Portrush

That's almost a tournament wrecker for McIlroy.

David Horsey
European Tour player and BBC Radio 5 Live pundit

He's just got to put that out of his mind. He's go the entire nation watching him. He's got to funnel that out and focus on hitting a few shots. Get one straight down the second and give yourself a chance of hitting the green in two.

Iain Carter
BBC Sport golf correspondent at Royal Portrush

It's a sure sign that this has got to Rory, given the nature of the mistakes he has made.

So 'the stink' Rory was in according to Colin Murray was just that, a stink. He had to take another drop and he's now on the green with a testing putt left for a SEVEN. I've capped it up like the old Grandstand vidiprinter.

Can he make it? NO. It's a snowman 8. A quad bogey.

Break out the snowman pics...

Image source, Getty Images

And another one!

Shane Lowry is loving Royal Portrush this morning. He knocks in a third birdie of the day, this time on the par-four ninth, to join Alex Noren and Robert MacIntyre at the top of the leaderboard.

David Duval is two under and one off the lead. It's 2001 again.

'Another Chance' by Roger Sanchez was number one in the UK charts when Duval won the Open that day. What a tune. Not so sure Duval has another chance...

Iain Carter
BBC Sport golf correspondent at Royal Portrush

This is a nightmare start for Rory.

Sweden's Alex Noren has just birdied the par-four eighth and joins Robert MacIntyre on -3.

The 37-year-old had an ideal start to the day with a birdie on the first and followed that up with another on the fourth.

Fifth, fourth and second in his last three Open starts, Rory McIlroy is on his way to demolishing his hopes on the first hole here.

Out of bounds off the tee, he's hitting his fourth shot from the rough to the left of the fairway. He pushes it, past a bunker and into more rough.

It's landed in "an absolute stink" says presenter Colin Murray on 5 Live.

Shane Lowry has enjoyed a better start. The Irishman is tied for third after bogeys on holes three and five.

Lowry is playing alongside South Africa’s Branden Grace, who is -1, and Phil Mickelson, who is +1. The American lost 15lbs before coming to Northern Ireland as he attempts to turn his year around.

They’re about to tee off on the ninth.

Our last two entries in this live text have been a hole in one and an out of bounds. Welcome to the links...