Ill wind for early starters

After two and a half hours’ play at the Open Championship, none of the 27 players out on the course were under par, and several of the big names out early were struggling once again.

The chances of an early starter charging back into contention for the Open Championship looked to have been blown away from the start of today's play at Royal Birkdale.

Strong, gusting winds were already buffeting the course when Phillip Archer teed off at 7.30am and the forecast did not look good for the rest of the day.

Scattered showers and winds gusting to almost 50mph were forecast, with the worst of it around the time leader KJ Choi and Greg Norman were scheduled to begin their third rounds.

That raised the possibility of play being suspended if balls began moving on the greens, the exposed sixth and 16th greens the most likely problem areas.

In view of the conditions, tees on the sixth, 11th and 16th were moved forward, reducing the length of the course by a total of 159 yards.

Ernie Els, who made the cut right on the mark of nine over par, was out in 38 to drop to 13 over par, while Lee Westwood fared even worse with a front nine of 39 including a double bogey on the first.

Ryder Cup team-mate Paul Casey had also taken six on the first but birdied the seventh and eighth to be out in 34 before a bogey on the 10th, while Colin Montgomerie was one over after five holes.

Argentina’s Andres Romero, so close to winning at Carnoustie last year, had been one under after three holes but bogeyed the sixth.