John Daly, in his 'good luck start pants,' tees off on the second hole.
In the eight competitive rounds that Rory McIlroy has played at the Old Course here, six as an amateur and two as a pro, his worst score is 69. In order since 2007, his scores at St. Andrews have been 69, 69, 67, 68, 67, 68, 65, 69 and, on Thursday, 63.
Not bad for a 21-year-old, especially because his first-round score in the British Open on Thursday tied the lowest score ever in a major championship. (There have been 23 other 63s, including seven at British Opens.)
And it could easily have been a 62, but for a lipped-out four-foot putt on the 17th. "A very pleasant round of golf," said Mr. McIlory, ranked No. 9 in the world. Not as good, mind you, as the course-record 61 he shot at devilishly difficult Royal Portrush in his native Northern Ireland when he was 16—"I was probably a little more hyped and buzzed about the 61," he said—but still, a solid beginning for the most thrilling young talent in golf since Tiger Woods. He holds a two-shot lead over Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa.
For those lucky enough to draw morning tee times on Thursday, St. Andrews was pleasant all around. With the turf softened by heavy rains on Wednesday, and barely a whisper of wind, the Old Course was vulnerable.
The first to breach the course's defenses, in the sixth group out, was 1995 British Open champion John Daly. Wearing a pair of extraordinary trousers—purple paisley with orange and baby-blue highlights—he birdied seven of the first 11 holes, faltering only on the Road Hole, No. 17, where he flushed his seven-iron "chip" from 171 yards over the green onto a gravel path. That led to his only bogey.
Mr. Daly, winless and struggling since 2004 (he was playing here on a former champion's exemption), never fails to surprise. In his postround news conference, he said he has worn the paisley pants to such good effect in the first rounds of several recent tournaments that he donned them again Thursday morning. He calls them his "good luck start pants." On his way to the golf course, he told his girlfriend, Anna Cladakis, that he was going to win the tournament. "He's never said that before," Ms. Cladakis said as she followed Mr. Daly's last few holes. "He loves this course. It's home."
If he does prevail, he will have to beat back a crowd of contenders. His six-under-par 66, which under normal conditions in a major might be good for the lead, left him in a five-way tie for third and only one shot ahead of nine others at five-under-par, including Mr. Woods, Lee Westwood and 2009 U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover. One shot behind them, in a 13-way tie at four-under-par, are Camilo Villegas, Ryo Ishikawa and Vijay Singh.
Among the world's top players, only Phil Mickelson, with a 73, and Jim Furyk, with a 77, were missing in action. Even Sir Nick Faldo, who doesn't play much competitive golf anymore, shot an even-par 72.
"Today felt awkward because there was absolutely no wind whatsoever, and you never play a links golf course with no wind," Mr. Woods said after his solid morning round.
By afternoon, however, the wind picked up to moderate levels by seaside standards, and there were intermittent showers. Those teeing off in the late half of the draw had an average score of 72.9, compared with 70.6 in the first half, according to Stats Inc.
Even so, largely because of the easy pickings in the morning, there were more under-par scores overall on Thursday, 73 in a field of 156, than in any British Open since 1970, when the R&A began compiling such records. Nearly three-fourths of the field was within 10 shots of Mr. McIlroy's lead.
The geometry of success on links courses is different than on inland courses, in a way that brings more players into the mix on days like Thursday when the wind lays down. On speedy, slopey PGA Tour-type greens, the best players can differentiate themselves from lesser players both by parking more approach shots within a 10- to 15-foot radius of the hole, and by making a higher percentage of putts from within that range.
On links courses, by contrast, with the wind howling normally and the ground around the greens running hard and fast, getting balls to stop within 10 to 15 feet of the hole becomes the primary challenge. Putting from within that zone is relatively less of a differentiating challenge, because links greens tends to be flatter, slower and more predictable to putt. Holing 10-foot putts is nothing special. On calm days with soft greens, when almost everyone is able to leave their approach shots within shouting distance of the hole, the best players have fewer ways to separate themselves from the field.
The fair weather is unlikely to last, however. "It was there for the taking," said Tom Watson, whose 73 Thursday was a disappointment to fans hoping for a repeat of last year's near-miracle at the British Open at Turnberry, when he lost in a playoff to Stewart Cink (who shot a first-round 70). "But what she [the Old Course] gave away this morning, she will take away the next three days and it will be a wonderful test of golf."
Heavy rain with strong breezes was expected overnight and Friday morning, with the wind picking up even more in the afternoon and over the weekend. That's bad news for those like Messrs. Mickelson and Oosthuizen with Thursday afternoon-Friday morning tee-times, but good news for fans who want to see the Old Course play like it's supposed to.
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