Nice start for Shane Lowry who birdies the first prompting cheers from the crowd next on the green.

The Irishman backs up a monster drive with a deft approach shot which leaves him eight foot from the hole and calmly rolls it in.

Aaron Rai grimaces after his birdie putt slides wide of the hole while Koepka misses the cup by a whisker.

Even if you're not into your golf stats, it's quite clear what went wrong for Rory McIlroy yesterday - the closer to the hole the worse he got!

Some short putts missed and a couple of clumsy chips - one flop shot he managed to knife into the opposite bunker!

He simply has to clean that up today.

Rory McIlroy had a topsy-turvy Thursday at Royal Birkdale, missing a few shortish putts but also producing a couple of moments to delight his army of fans.

He made six bogeys in all during his opening round - including at both of the par fives - but ended in style with a birdie to end the day two over par.

It was a similarly frustrating day for Matt Fitzpatrick, who like McIlroy struggled to sustain a period of positive momentum.

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist at Royal Birkdale

Image source, Getty Images

Jackson Suber became just the fourth player in the championship’s history to shoot 65 or lower in his debut round on Thursday.

The bedrock of that early success was his proficiency on the greens, needing just 24 putts during his opening round.

There are signs, however, that the putter is going a little cold after three successive bogeys. His strokes gained putting tally is down to +0.29 - nearly three shots lower than yesterday.

Golf is just a ridiculous game. Eric Cole shot 76 yesterday with three double bogeys and just one par - today he's knocked in seven birdies in 14 holes including four in a row to start the back nine.

Are we sure this is the same guy?

He's six under for the day with still four holes to go, so if he pars home he'll shoot 64, while two more birdies would see him equal the Open Championship record of 62.

And that record 62 just so happens to have been carded at this same Royal Birkdale - can you remenber who? Answers on a postcard (or via the Get Involved button).

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist at Royal Birkdale

Image source, Getty Images

Rory McIlroy spent some time on the practice green this morning having had all sorts of problems with the putter on Thursday.

He missed three putts inside five feet - almost unheard of for a player of his calibre - and ranked 148th out of all 156 players for strokes gained on the greens.

The world number two dropped -2.74 shots in total putting - his worst at a major since the US PGA four years ago.

No player has ever recovered from as low as 85th - where McIlroy ended round one - in the first round of a major to win it.

The closest was American Steve Jones, who fought back from 84th after the opening round of the US Open 30 years ago to triumph.

Since we're doing this when The Open is on I'm guessing we might know the answer, but is this the best of the four men's golf majors?

Or do you prefer the annual Masters trip to Augusta? Does the US PGA float your boat or the tough test of the US Open?

Vote for your favourite major and let us know your thoughts via the Get Involved button.

JJ Spaun the only one of this three-ball able to make a dent into his score on the first. The American's approach shot leaves him with a nine footer for a birdie and he duly rolls it in.

Collin Morikawa and Nicolai Hojgaard both have birdie chances but can only tap in for par.

Image source, Getty Images

The Players' champion Cameron Young is one of the standout names in a big group jostling at three under.

He won twice in six weeks across March and April, and finished third at the Masters, but has been quieter in recent weeks.

Yet to win a major, his best performance was at The Open in 2022 where he came second.

Image source, Getty Images

Along with Matt Wallace making a move, another Englishman is shooting up the leaderboard early on round two.

Crawley's Marco Penge is three under so far and was a whisker off a fourth birdie of the day over at the sixth hole.

Into the red for the tournament, and now only three off the lead.

This three-ball of major champions are in striking distance of the leaders if they can find some form in round two.

Shane Lowry, the 2019 winner, carded a one-under-par round of 69, recovering well from a run of three straight bogeys during his back nine.

Aaron Rai made one birdie, two bogeys and 15 pars in his round of 71, while Brooks Koepka missed a short par putt at the 18th - having fought back to be under par heading down the last.

Lowry strikes a beefy drive down the fairway at the first while Rai and Koepka both find themselves on the edge of the rough.

Jackson Suber has hit reverse gear just at the wrong time, with three straight bogeys coming almost out of nowhere seeing him tumble down the leaderboard when only about an hour ago he had a two-shot lead...

There have been 122 Open Championships with a 72-hole format - and generally you need to be within five shots after day one to stand a chance of hoisting the Claret Jug on Sunday.

Not since 1998 and Mark O'Meara (seven back) has a player come from further behind to win - although that did come right here at Royal Birkdale!

Last year, Scottie Scheffler was one off the lead after the first day.

Also in Collin Morikawa's group are two other players hoping to climb up the leaderboard.

JJ Spaun carded a level-par 71 after recovering from an early double bogey, while Nicolai Hojgaard signed for a two-over-par 73 after a variable round that featured four birdies and six bogeys.

Morikawa and Hojgaard both finds the fairway with their tee shots while JJ Spaun is just on the edge but looks to have a decent lie.

Matt Wallace misses a short putt on the 12th to drop back to four under and out of the lead, but not for long as American Pierceson Coody had a bit of a stinker on the third hitting the rough twice to also make a bogey and now all three leaders from a short while ago have now made bogeys.

We've now got five players leading The Open on four under - two of them haven't even hit a shot today.

Image source, Getty Images

Collin Morikawa won the Open on debut in 2021 and, five years on, he is in contention for the Claret Jug again having had a miserable time in the event since his victory.

Morikawa found some form on the greens early in his first round and played some solid golf on his way home, although a bogey on the 18th was a disappointing end for the American.

Incredibly, he's missed three cuts in four Opens since winning it, with one T16 finish in 2024 the only other time he's seen the weekend at an Open Championship.

Yesterday was also the first time Morikawa has managed to break 70 in The Open since winning the thing - when interestingly conditions at St George's were similar to what we have at Birkdale this week.

Image source, Getty Images

Ouch - that's back-to-back bogeys for Jackson Suber thanks to back-to-back three-putts - this time from just 28 feet away after hitting a lovely tee shot into the par-three seventh.

From nowhere the overnight leader is bang in trouble. And so is Sami Valimaki who has also made back-to-back bogeys since playing his way into our live text coverage - he's playing his way out of it right now...

Ben Croucher
BBC Sport journalist at Royal Birkdale

Image source, Getty Images

A quick hat tip to the volunteers without whom an event like the Open simply couldn’t function.

The marshals comes from local clubs in the North West, working a half day then being able to watch to their hearts content.

I'm pretty jealous of the nice clobber they get to walk around in.

One marshal I chatted to was particularly pleased, as he said they all looked like ‘road sweepers’ in 2017. What do you think?