Tiger impresses as Muirfield minefield scaring the stars

The Open Championship may lack a prominent Irish contender, but there are a host of significant others at the top of the leaderboard heading into a testing second day at sun-baked Muirfield to suggest class will out yet again at this venerable links.

The list of post-war Open champions at Muirfield is a who’s who of golf’s greats, from Henry Cotton in 1948 through Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, Nick Faldo (twice) to Ernie Els in 2002. And if yesterday’s opening round is anything to go by, it could well be an existing major champion, or at the very least a seasoned campaigner, who lifts the Claret Jug come Sunday evening.

There would be no more fitting addition to the Muirfield honour roll than 14-time major winner Tiger Woods, who begins today’s second round just three shots off the pace set by 18-hole leader Zach Johnson, the 2007 Masters champion at five under par following an opening 66.