Up at 2am, in bed by noon

Charlie Mulqueen at St Andrews

"At 2.05, my wife Brenda got a sneezing attack,” explained the 1989 champion. “I was ready to get up anyway.” He was more than happy to sign shortly before 11am for a round of 70 and was back in bed an hour later!

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THEY gave him an early tee time, the bookies quoted him around the 200-1mark and nobody made much of a fuss of him. But defending champion Todd Hamilton claimed he didn’t mind. He would have been more upset by shooting 74 than anything else. Was he surprised at his tee time (7.14)?

“No, I thought it was a good time. It was a good feeling teeing it up as defending champion. Unfortunately, there weren’t many spectators around but it’s always nice when they announce your name as defending champion no matter what tournament it is.”

Did you feel more pressure this year? “Not really. I don’t take it any differently. Obviously the bookies didn’t either. I was 200/1 I think. I just look at it as yet another tournament.”

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“I’LL definitely take four 69s,” enthused the recently crowned US Open champion Michael Campbell as he maintained his fine run of form. He found the wind, such as it was, entirely to his liking and contrasted it with “windy Wellington” back in his native New Zealand. “It was just a wee breeze.

It was very benign. And as we stood for the two minute silence, it kind of put everything into perspective. What happened in London a week ago, Padraig Harrington’s father passed away two or three days ago. I thought to myself, ‘why cry over spilt milk?’ It’ s only a game.”

Campbell also revealed how his new management group, IMG, arranged for him to watch a video of his victory at Pinehurst before he went to bed the previous night. He admitted it was “very emotional and I even had goosebumps watching it because that was the first time I saw it. ******

Jack Nicklaus admitted he would become a “bubbling idiot” when his major career comes to an end at St Andrews.

Nicklaus hopes he can delay the moment when he calls time on his illustrious career for as long as possible by making the cut But that looks increasingly unlikely after an opening 75 , and the 65-year-old is set for an emotional farewell when he crosses the Swilcan Bridge for the final time tomorrow evening.

Asked about keeping his emotions in check, Nicklaus, who had tears in his eyes playing his final hole at the US Masters this year, added: “I still think I have the opportunity to make the cut and until that opportunity ceases I will be pretty good.

“When that’s over I will be a bubbling idiot. Hopefully that’s going to be on Sunday.”

That emotion is sure to be heightened by the presence of his son Steve as his caddy. Steve’s 17-month-old son Jake, one of Nicklaus’ 17 grandchildren, died after falling into a hot tub at home in March this year.

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OF all of the 156 players here this week, you would have expected Colin Montgomerie to know the Old Course better than anyone. Yet he somehow contrived to send his tee shot to the first crashing into the Swilcan Burn. His embarrassed reaction was something like “God almighty, it’s the first time I’ve ever done that in twenty years of playing here or that I’ve ever missed the fairway. It just got a big old bounce and ran out of room.” So he did well to bring in a one under par 71.

TIGER Woods became the hottest first-day favourite in Open history after completing his opening 66.

Ladbrokes reduced the world number one’s odds from 5/2 to even money. After laying one bet of £100,000 on Tuesday

and two of £50,000 on Wednesday, the firm then took a £60,000 bet at 9/4 during his round.

Playing partner Jose Maria Olazabal has been cut to 25/1 from 80/1 after shooting four-under, but Jack Nicklaus has drifted out to an improbable 9,999/1 after a 75.