Early starters make up ground

Low scoring was the order of the day in the third round of the 134th British Open championship at St Andrews today.

Bright sunshine and no wind to speak of greeted the early starters and they made the most of the conditions with a host of birdies over a virtually defenceless Old Course.

Ireland's Darren Clarke is tied in 11th place after eight holes this morning, on -5. Grame McDowell is due out shortly. He will start on -3.

Australia’s Geoff Ogilvy and American Tim Herron were setting the morning pace, both going to the turn in 33 and picking up further birdies at the 10th and 12th to improve to four under par for the tournament.

In the match behind, Scotland’s Scott Drummond was also going well, the former PGA champion out in 32 with four birdies to reach three-under.

Playing alongside Drummond, five-time champion Tom Watson covered the front nine in two-under but then dropped a shot at the 11th and ran up a double bogey on the 12th.

Watson had played the last five holes of his second round in two under par to make the cut on the mark of one-over, but the 55-year-old’s achievement almost went unnoticed as he was paired with Luke Donald and Jack Nicklaus on the first two days.

Donald was challenging for the lead and Nicklaus making his last, emotional major championship appearance.

Scotland’s Lloyd Saltman, one of four amateurs to make the cut, was one under par for his first seven holes, while Japan’s Tadahiro Takayama bogeyed the first but birdied the next four in a row.

There was still a long way to go before the leading group began their rounds, Tiger Woods and Colin Montgomerie sure to attract massive galleries shortly after 3pm.

Woods was 11 under par after rounds of 66 and 67, four ahead of Montgomerie and five clear of a chasing pack including Vijay Singh and Jose Maria Olazabal.

Herron also birdied the 14th and when Ogilvy recovered from a bogey on the 13th with birdies on the next two holes, they were both six under for the day and five under overall.

Drummond also birdied the 14th to reach four under, but the most interesting round of the day still belonged to Takayama.

The Open rookie birdied the seventh and ninth and a bogey on the eighth meant he had recorded just one par in a front nine of 32.