Royal Troon and rare southerly scatter all Open expectations

Halfway through the day and there were only two holes, the 6th and the 14th, playing under par.

Spain's Jon Rahm tees off the 6th during day one of The Open at Royal Troon,. Picture: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire.

Ewen Ferguson hadn’t played Royal Troon for ten years but he thought he knew what was coming. He didn’t. Born just over half-an-hour up the road in Glasgow, the course played so unfamiliar to him that it felt like walking these links for the first time.

That southerly wind, so unlike anything the players had experienced over the three practice days earlier this week, turned all expectations on their heads. The front nine was far more difficult and the usually tougher back nine wasn’t taking prisoners either.