The 150th Open: All the action from St Andrews
Last updated 14th Jul 2022
Former winner Paul Lawrie got the 150th Open Championship under way in cool conditions at St Andrews.
The 53-year-old Scot, victor in 1999 at Carnoustie and originally given the honour of teeing off first on the Old Course 12 years ago, was first off at 6.35am.
A prevailing wind from the west meant most of the outward nine was into the breeze but it was not strong enough to cause any issues for the early starters, although it was forecast to pick up later in the day.
Negative reception for LIV golfers
England's Ian Poulter, one of the 24 golfers who have signed up to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series, was booed on the first tee.
The 46-year-old's response was almost to miss the widest fairway in golf with his mid-iron heading well left across the 18th fairway and within a couple of yards of being out of bounds.
Poulter's fellow LIV Golf rebels Phil Mickelson, seen as the figurehead of the breakaway series, and Patrick Reed received mixed receptions when they teed off.
Mickelson gave fans a thumbs up after polite applause was followed by shouts of 'Let's go Phil', but there was a less warm welcome for Reed, who was something of a divisive figure in the sport even before his defection.
The crowd appeared to be more forgiving for Poulter, traditionally one of the more popular players at The Open, further down the course with some fans shouting 'Morning' and 'Let's go Poults' as he reached the third tee.
Up ahead Simpson birdied the par-five fifth to move to two under.
More to follow..
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