Scoring had proved tough in the previous two Opens at Royal St George’s, with Ben Curtis the only player under par in 2003 and Darren Clarke one of just four men to finish in red figures eight years later.

However, from the early stages of The 149th Open, it was clear more birdie opportunities would be on offer this time around.

The combination of a relatively green links and wonderful weather served as a green light for the world’s best players to attack, particularly in the morning when there was next to no wind.

Much is often made of the importance of being on the right side of the draw at The Open and, while the afternoon starters on Thursday only faced a slight increase in wind speeds, it was clear those out earlier in the day enjoyed the better conditions.

Indeed, six of the eight players to shoot 66 or lower teed off in a 44-minute window between 9:25am and 10:09am, with Louis Oosthuizen the pick of the bunch as the Champion Golfer of 2010 put together a bogey-free 64 in the Sandwich sunshine.

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