> Emotional seesaw for home fans on Day 1 of the Open, pre-tournament favourite Rory McIlroy crashing to 8-over-par 79 – which included a quadruple bogey eight at the opening hole when he sent his tee shot out of bounds. “I would like to punch myself,” he said. “I let myself down.” Meanwhile, compatriot Shane Lowry sits one shot adrift of leader JB Holmes after a 4-under-par 67.
> Despite nursing a knee injury, Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat is the leading Asian after an opening 3-under-par 68. “The knee’s still affecting the golf swing but I played really solid golf today as I managed to control my energy levels and pace myself really well today,” said Kiradech, who is making his sixth appearance at The Open.
> Brooks Koepka, winner of four of the last 10 majors, is two shots off the lead after a 3-under 68.
> Tiger Woods posts 7-over 78, his highest first-round score in The Open Championship.
> Argentine star Emiliano Grillo fired an ace, the first hole-in-one at the Open for three years, sinking his tee shot on the 13th hole, the 200-yard ‘Feather Bed.’ The 26-year-old hit his 9-iron to 20ft, the ball running downhill and into the cup. The odds against a professional carding an ace are around 2,500-1.
> The flags of 29 nations fly proudly at the Open, one for each country with at least one player in the 156-man field. USA, with 47 players has the most, England (25) is second; 10 countries, including Chile, Belgium, China, Slovakia and India each provide just one player. Of the 16 past champions, six are from the USA.
> Almost 700 members of the world’s media, from 44 countries nations and 250 outlets covering the 148th Open. Also, 1,750 TV personnel help beam the action from nearly 200 cameras to over 600 million homes worldwide. The giant media centre measures 175m x 55m, with over 500 individual workstations and its own restaurant.
From Mike Wilson at Royal Portrush
