Langer survives roller-coaster ride

Going one better than Langer was his fellow playing partner Rodney Pampling. The Australian, playing in his first Open, finished level par to be the leader in the clubhouse.

The 29-year-old from Queensland had got his score to one-under but bogeyed the difficult 17th. With stronger winds forecast Pampling could well see himself on top of the leaderboard at the end of the day.

“I don’t mind the wind,” explained Pampling, who has only one win to his name and that was the Canon Challenge at Cherry Hills in Sydney. “It’s a challenge. It makes you think a lot harder. My goal is to finish in the top ten this week.”

For many of the players the toughest course in Open history chewed them up and then spat them out.

The opening group comprising Peter O’Malley of Australia, Mark McNulty of Zimbabwe and Sweden’s Gabriel Hjertstedt reached the turn in a combined 11 over par. O’Malley was five over, Hjertstedt six over and McNulty a stunning even par that must have felt like a sub par round.

O’Malley managed to hold it together over the back nine to stay at five over while McNulty dropped two to sign for a 73. Hjertstedt finished with a 79.

Spanish teenage sensation Sergio Garcia got the worst possible start. The 19-year-old, tipped to be a contender here in his first Major as a professional, opened with a triple bogey on the 407 yard 1st – the hole agreed by most of the field as the easiest on the course.

Things did not get any better for the young Spaniard as he collapsed to 13 over with four holes still left to play.

Defending champion Mark O’Meara will have trouble retaining his title. Playing With two-time US Open champion Ernie Els and Seve Ballesteros, the 42-year-old reached the turn in 44 – 8 over par. Els was three over and Ballesteros five over.

Japan’s Kazuhiko Hosokawa appeared to have booked himself an early flight home when he was 12 over with the 18th still to play.

Joe Ozaki, also of Japan, however managed to keep his game under control to open with a 74 – three over and firmly in contention.

American Billy Mayfair suffered a double bogey on the now infamous 575-yard par five 5th. A stunned Mayfair promptly dropped three more shots over the seventh and eighth and finally staggered home ten over par and having the dubious distinction of becoming the first player here to fail to break 80.

Tom Watson, who won the Open here 24 years ago, started bogey, bogey and hopes of ending his career on a high before joining the US Serior Tour later this year, were cast away in the wind sweeping in off the Firth of Tay.

By the time Watson neared the 18th he had slipped to 11 over.