With the winds calm and the skies relatively clear, a number of golfers are posting under-par scores in the first round of the 2012 British Open, including a pair of former major tournament winners.
Graeme McDowell and Bubba Watson are both in the clubhouse at 3-under through 18-holes, currently tied for fourth with four other golfers.
"There's been so much chat about how bad the weather's going to be, how unplayable the course is, and it was kind of weird to be out there this morning in shirt sleeves and looking at four-, five- and six-under par," McDowell said.
Watson, known for being a free-swinging risk taker, had only one bogey on the day and told the media after his round he was happy with how he was able to play conservatively and stick to his gameplan coming into the Open.
Meanwhile, defending champion Darren Clarke was brutal on his Thursday round, posting 76 that included seven bogies and just one birdie. It's unlikely he will be playing into the weekend with so much ground to make up.