Golf: Smyth makes early impression

The 130th Open Championship got underway on a bright but breezy morning at Royal Lytham today with Japan’s Hidemichi Tanaka having the honour of hitting the opening shot.

Tanaka’s tee shot on the 209-yard opening hole - Lytham is the only Open venue to start with a par three - failed to find the putting surface however and it was left to Swindon’s David Howell to draw the first applause from the already large gallery behind the green.

Howell’s approach safely found the heart of the green and the final member of the group, Ireland’s Des Smyth, then hit an even better shot to 15 feet, left of the flag.

Howell and Smyth both safely made par, but Tanaka failed to get up and down and carded a bogey four.

The first group had been able to reach the green with medium irons as the wind reverted to its usual direction, which is helping the players on most of the outward half, and was nowhere near as strong as on the previous two days.