Hend, Aguilar share lead at Castle Stuart

Glasgow’s Marc Warren started with a one-over 73 while Phil Mickelson, the Scottish Open victor at Castle Stuart in 2013, had to settle for a 76.

The 34-year-old at least finished with a birdie on the ninth to finish eight over and eight shots better than Korea’s Jin Jeong, who has failed to make a single cut in 16 events this season and is a combined 176 over par.

To give you an idea of the wind, here’s a look at Mickelson almost driving the green on a par 4 with an iron. It’s a very fair test. I think it’s fun to play this course in these conditions. It really prepared me well and it’s nice to get a couple under and get off to a good start.

Richie Ramsay returned a par 72 reckoning it was the toughest conditions he’s played at Castle Stuart.

Graeme McDowell and Padraig Harrington were among those at 70, while Branden Grace of South Africa was at 71. He learned last week at the French Open that he was in the Open, exempt to the PGA Championship and that Jason Day had withdrawn from the Olympics, meaning Hend was a lock to take one of the two spots for Australia.

The course showed its teeth on Thursday, with gusts of 50mph sweeping across the Highland links and making scoring hard on the first day of this year’s tournament. “But overall, very happy.”. Hend already is eligible.

‘But you’re allowed to change your mind on these things – I like the course now and the welcome back by Scottish fans this year has been fantastic’. “Im just anxious about whats going to happen tomorrow.

“I wish I played every round of tournament golf in those conditions”, Harrington said.

Craig Lee reckoned he only hit one bad shot in starting his opening round of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open with a five and a seven, so he was maybe due the justice that followed. He opened with a 75.

Early starterBradley Dredge briefly held the outright advantage by playing birdieing two of his opening six holes and also posting an eagle-three at the 12th, only to drop four strokes in a three-hole stretch after the turn to also end the day two back.

“The atmosphere was incredible, ” Knox said. The former Ryder Cup player – who was part of the last USA victory in his home state of Kentucky in 2008 – immediately headed out to practice but it failed to do him much good as he slumped to nine over par after 12 holes.

“Its a awful setup in my opinion — 600 yards, straight into a 30 miles per hour wind, ” he said.

“They could have easily moved us up a tee”.