Kisner first round leader in benign Open conditions

Ryan Moore birdied the third hole to get to four-under and is just one shot off Kevin Kisner’s lead.

Woods has always been able to see and execute those shots in innovative fashion, with several possibilities to fuel his inner golf nerd.

He kept the tape on the entire round, although it did not appear to affect his play. “He plowed his way around, which I expected him to, and he was very conservative off the tee”, Knox said.

For a few hours at a sun-drenched Carnoustie on Thursday it felt like 2000 all over again, or 2005 or 2006 as Tiger Woods rolled back the years and captivated a heaving British Open gallery. Tiger Woods is already done with his round. “You can’t really expect to try and compete”. When we play home in the States, that’s not the case. I found it oddly coincidental that his comments about me came on the heels of me having to comment on some of his more freaky actions.

“If I can keep it in the fairway, I feel like I can control my golf ball around the green”, Kisner said, according to the Associated Press.

He followed with a 40-footer for birdie at the 11th, but that turned out to be the last of his three bogeys.

U.S. Open champion, Brooks Koepka, who, along with Dustin Johnson, proclaimed he would hit driver often in an attempt to power past the hard fairway bunkers, went out in 41 and then turned it on and came home in 31 to finish at one-over.

The last five majors – and seven of the last nine – have been won by Americans, including Jordan Spieth’s victory at Royal Birkdale 12 months ago and Brooks Koepka’s successful recent defence of the US Open.

The 29-year-old Northern Irishman – seeking his first major in four years – delivered what he had promised on the eve of the tournament at Carnoustie, reverting back to the type of aggressive and carefree golf which first came to public notice at the same course as a fresh-faced amateur in 2007.

Age and the chronic back trouble which has required several surgeries has mellowed the swashbuckling style which fired Woods to two titles at St Andrews twice and one at Hoylake.

Late starter Tiger Woods, who shot even-par 71, was among those who had to deal with a breeze that finally freshened long after most players were safely tucking into their evening fish and chips. He last played The Open in 2015 and missed the cut.

“He’s nearly like a mythical figure”.

Woods had a bit of an up-and-down round, but finished dead even. I mean, you can roll the ball 100 yards if you wanted to, or you can throw it straight up in the air.