Kisner leads as McIlroy starts strong at The Open

What happened on Thursday at The Open?

Kevin Kisner’s five-under-par round of 66 was enough to set the early pace on what was a fairly calm opening day at Carnoustie.

The American’s bounce-back eagle at the par-5 sixth set the wheels in motion as Kisner went out in 34 and made three birdies in-a-row on the back-nine to take the clubhouse lead in the early wave.

But several big names are lurking, headed by Rory McIlroy who opened with a solid 69 to sit just three shots adrift.

The Northern Irishman – who’s going in search of his second Claret Jug this week – made just a solitary bogey alongside three birdies to sit well positioned.

Justin Thomas and Jon Rahm are also right in the hunt having both matched McIlroy’s round.

The early signs were positive for Tiger Woods, who opened with a birdie and concluded the front-nine two-under to be under-par for the first time in a major since the 2013 PGA Championship.

But things started to unravel slightly on the back-nine with bogeys at the 10^th, 13^th and 15^th. Woods scrambled well over the tough closing stretch of holes to open up his tournament with an even-par 71.

There were contrasting fortunes for the world No.1, Dustin Johnson, however. Johnson – who’s making his first start since the U.S. Open – laboured to a five-over 76 with a triple-bogey at the 18^th.

Leaderboard

Click here for the full 2018 Open leaderboard

Talking point

It was the big discussion coming into the week: will the players be hitting driver at every opportunity? Or would meticulous plodding be the best course of action?

Rory McIlroy said he would be hitting driver a lot, and sure enough, he blasted his way around Carnoustie in 69 to sit just three shots adrift of the lead.

At the other end of the spectrum, Tiger Woods’ strategy was conservative – almost to the extreme.

Woods hit just one driver all day as he tried to play short of the majority of bunkers. It was a strategy that was clearly working in the early stages of his round as Woods got to two-under on the front-nine, but as the round progressed, Woods’ performance gradually started to deteriorate, perhaps as a result of the cautious approach.

Even on the par-5 14^th, Woods opted for an iron off the tee which prevented him from reaching in two. He made a good par-save in the end, while his playing partners – Russell Knox and Hideki Matsuyama – made an eagle and a birdie.

In truth, Woods did well to hold on over the last few holes to shoot level-par.

Woods now sits five shots back after the first round. If he’s to make inroads over the next few days, he’ll likely need to play slightly more aggressive.

Best stats

Good morning from #TheOpen. Each of the last 9 Open champions opened with a round in the 60s. The 1st round scoring average of those 9 champions is 66.7.

— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGC) July 19, 2018

Kevin Kisner's 22 putts today tie a career-low in any round on the PGA Tour.

— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGC) July 19, 2018

None of the previous 7 winners of #TheOpen at Carnoustie led after either the first or second rounds.

— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGC) July 19, 2018

Tiger in the opening round of his previous 7 majors:

Combined +30
75.6 scoring average
1.7 birdies per round
All 7 rounds over par

— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGC) July 19, 2018

Opening round 69 for @McIlroyRory. Here are his finishes the previous 6 times he's shot an opening round in the majors in the 60s:

Won
T-8
Won
Won
T-5
T-5

— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGC) July 19, 2018

Dustin Johnson: 76, tying the worst 1st round score in #TheOpen by a sitting world no. 1 player. Seve Ballesteros opened with 76 in 1986, the 1st year of the ranking, and still finished T-6 that week.

— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGC) July 19, 2018

Best moments

Watch until the end ? #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/83redF6DlF

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 19, 2018

. @TigerWoods finishes even after Round one to seal his solid return to #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/K2oCaswwN4

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 19, 2018

Home favourite @rooknox back to +1 with an eagle on the 14th #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/j1Zfs6Rcoj

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 19, 2018

⏱️ ROUND IN 60 SECONDS ⏱️

2017 Champion Golfer of the Year @JordanSpieth carded a +1 72 in the first round at Carnoustie ⛳️ pic.twitter.com/HMMJuSwe0J

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 19, 2018

Roars for @McIlroyRory as he saves par at the 16th

Leaderboard https://t.co/gVDayzkpiZ #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/yhN6nCbKco

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 19, 2018

Note to self… avoid the bunkers @carnoustiegolf #TheOpen

Leaderboard https://t.co/gVDayzkpiZ pic.twitter.com/AyZFARDO3o

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 19, 2018

Better than most?#TheOpen

Live coverage https://t.co/LDfR4LGH2Z pic.twitter.com/QvVPo0imDK

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 19, 2018

Welcome back @TigerWoods #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/a9k2LKXoCk

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 19, 2018

Has @kiradech hit the shot of the day? #TheOpen

Full Scoring https://t.co/gVDayzkpiZ pic.twitter.com/fmwVe7sVoG

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 19, 2018

⏱️ ROUND IN 60 SECONDS ⏱️@K_Kisner is top of the leaderboard after shooting -5 to card an impressive 66 ? #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/8cwqLCYbJV

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 19, 2018

A bit of a nasty lie… #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/n64WEZsQaq

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 19, 2018

What a start to The 147th Open ? Putts dropping everywhere but Carnoustie is holding its own. See the highlights from this morning's action below ? #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/Px7fJZBlqd

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 19, 2018