• Open Championship, Round One

McIlroy outshone by amazing amateur Lewis

Tom Lewis shares the lead with Thomas Bjorn © PA Photos

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Round One Gallery
What They Said
Plays of the Day: Dress-down day
Comment: Marathon, not a sprint

Rory McIlroy's Open Championship quest got off to a stuttering start as he battled his way to a one-over 71 in the first round at Royal St George's - leaving him six shots adrift of the leaders, but the two stories of the day were written by Thomas Bjorn and amateur Tom Lewis.

McIlroy had huge expectation on his shoulders following his US Open success and he strode on to the first tee to huge acclaim. But instead of wowing the galleries with a fast start, he signed for a bogey and the rest of his round proved a struggle.

McIlroy three-putted from off the green for bogey on one, after a wayward drive, and a further bogey followed on three. He missed a few chances before draining a birdie putt on eight. His battling skills were then in evidence as he made a par save from 10 feet on nine.

A wild drive on 13, followed by a sloppy chip led to a swing of the club in frustration and he almost inevitably let the par putt slide by. The putter did not perform in the way it did at Congressional, as a number of chances slipped by, but he found an excellent birdie on 17 to help him to a one-over 71.

McIlroy was comprehensively overshadowed by amateur Lewis though, who defied his lack of experience to became the first amateur to lead The Open since Michael Bonallack in 1968. The 20-year-old stepped on the accelerator along the back nine, sinking four consecutive birdies for an unforgettable 65 that took him level with Bjorn.

Lewis, who has previous on the course after winning the boys' title two years ago, initially looked like the magnitude of his round would take its toll when, after reaching the turn at three-under, he then bogeyed 11 and 13. However, his response was magnificent as a run of birdies began at 14, thanks largely to a clinical effort around the greens that saw him need just 24 putts during the round.

Bjorn has mixed memories of Royal St George's, having had the Claret Jug effectively in his grasp in 2003 only to implode with three holes remaining and lose out to Ben Curtis by a single shot.

The Dane only scrambled into the event after a number of players pulled out and he seized his chance with both hands with a blistering round. With the wind gusting, it required control off the tee and a deft touch around the greens. Bjorn demonstrated both in style. He hit 11 of 14 fairways, found 12 greens in regulation and needed just 25 strikes of the putter.

A run of four birdies in five holes on the back nine fired Bjorn up to six-under. One of those birdies came on 16, the hole that his challenge ended on in 2003, and not even a bogey on 18 could knock the smile off his face as he negotiated a tough opening day's set-up in 65 swings of the club.

Bjorn's efforts clearly had a positive effect on his playing partner, as Simon Dyson posted an excellent 68 to sit at two-under. The Englishman is joined by Darren Clarke, among others, who mixed five birdies with three bogeys to sum up the difficult nature of the conditions.

Graeme McDowell fell to three-over through five holes © PA Photos

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Miguel Angel Jimenez's form has been patchy this season, but he looked extremely comfortable plotting his way round the Kent coast. He made four birdies in a round of 66, but the highlight was a par on 18 which came courtesy of a stunning third shot which came to rest within a couple of feet of the hole.

The Spaniard is joined in a tie for third on the leaderboard by Lucas Glover, who produced a strong finish to his first round. Glover was level at the turn, but after picking up a shot at the 10th he found consecutive birdies at 16, 17 and 18 to give himself a good chance of winning his second career major.

Former US Open champion Graeme McDowell performed wonders to rescue his round as he carded a 68. McDowell fell to three-over along the front nine, but his recovery began at the sixth, where a birdie sparked five more as the Northern Irishman moved ahead of compatriot McIlroy, and level with Martin Kaymer.

Like McDowell, former world No. 1 Lee Westwood had to dig deep to get himself out of a hole after three consecutive bogeys saw him slump to three-over by the sixth. Westwood was wayward with driver and putter alike on a tough day, so he'll be satisfied to have emerged with a one-over 71.

Ian Poulter is at home facing the demands of links golf and he put himself well in contention with an excellent round of 69, while world No. 1 Luke Donald ground out a one-over 71. Sergio Garcia got himself to two-under at one stage, but sprayed the ball around the course in the final few holes and was forced to settle for a level-par 70, alongside Phil Mickelson.

There was a real struggle for two-time Open winner Padraig Harrington, who showed little sign of repeating his past successes as he hacked his way to a three-over 73. Harrington hit five bogeys on the front nine, and compounded that bad start with a double-bogey at the par-four 15th. Justin Rose fared only marginally better, spoiling an unremarkable round with two bogeys for a 72.

Steve Stricker, who is in confident mood after completing a hat-trick of victories at the John Deere Classic, will feel happy that he has given himself a solid platform with a 69. Sticking to the general pattern of the day, the American struggled through the outward holes before finishing strongly.

Dustin Johnson looked ill at ease on the links set-up for much of the day and slipped to four-over at one stage. However, he went birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie to sign for a level-par 70. But that did not tell the whole story as the eagle was a stunning hole in one on the par three 16th. With the wind howling, Johnson set the ball wide to the right and drew it in nicely. The ball pitched, skipped left and dropped into the cup.

Jerry Kelly got the 2011 Open underway, but that was the highlight for the American who carded a four-over 74. He was put in the shade by his playing partner Danny Willett, who hit three birdies and two bogeys in a round of 69, while defending champion Louis Oosthuizen will begin Friday at two-over.

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