A vicious course!

CARNOUSTIE SCOTLAND, JULY 15: Teen-age Spanish star Sergio Garcia returned an 18-over 89, defending champion Mark O'Meara an 83 and fiv...

CARNOUSTIE SCOTLAND, JULY 15: Teen-age Spanish star Sergio Garcia returned an 18-over 89, defending champion Mark O8217;Meara an 83 and five-time titlist Tom Watson an 82 as Carnoustie more than lived up to its reputation at the British Open golf championships today.

The wind blew and players battled deep rough and narrow fairways on their way to some astronomical scores in first round.

While Davis Love III got to the 11th at one under, only to double bogey at the 12th, few players looked capable of beating even par at the par-71 links course. When half the field had completed 18 holes, the clubhouse leader was little known Australian Rodney Pampling, who returned a 71.

Pampling, a 30-year-old Queenslander playing in his first Open, took advantage of playing in the second group out in light winds, used an eagle on par-5 14th to shoot even par 71.

Of the bigger names rated the main contenders, David Duval was 7-over through 16, Tiger Woods was 2-over after eight and Colin Montgomerie was 2-over after16.

8220;The course is vicious,8221; US Open winner Payne Stewart said after shooting 79.

Par was a score to covet on a brutally tough course that left even those who played well exhausted after 18 holes. With half the field finished the average first day score was 78.2.

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8220;It takes a lot out of you,8221; said Bernhard Langer, who played with Pampling and shot a 72. 8220;I8217;m just glad to get the first round over.8221;Ernie Els took only 26 putts but shot a 74. Then he proclaimed himself happy with it.

Winds were light early and the course was bathed in sunshine in morning, giving players their best chance to take advantage of a course some have called the toughest they have ever played. That didn8217;t help the 19-year-old Garcia, who knocked his ball into the greenside rough on the first hole and opened with a triple bogey. Garcia, who shot two 62s since turning pro in April, had five double bogeys and barely broke 90.

Players left balls in bunkers, hit them backwards just to get out of sand and played a variety ofunusual shots to try and get around the course. Steve Stricker hit a back-handed sand wedge while Padraig Harrington played a shot off his knees out of some greenside bushes.