Round One:
9.15pm: Forsyth bogeys the last as well to slip back to -3. Can you call the winner at this stage? I know I can't. Right, that's it for today. We'll be back bright and early on Friday morning.
8.45pm: We head out to the 17th to see if Scotland's Alistair Forsyth can take the outright lead after joining Paul Casey and Thomas Levet on 5-under. But he puts his tee-shot in the bunker and fails to get up and down - a disappointment to the few hundred hardy souls still out there. A few drops of rain start to fall and it's a light drizzle by the time he taps in for a bogey.
7.15pm: Drumroll. Here's the official weather forecast for Friday. Weather synopsis: Moderate to heavy rain passed just to the south of us today. We will be focused now on a large low-pressure storm system in the Atlantic that will move toward us the next few days bringing a good chance of rain. The chance for showers will increase on Friday night into Saturday. Tonight: Cloudy with a few light showers possible. Friday: Variably cloudy with showers possible by evening. Wind SSW 10-15mph. Saturday: Cloudy with a good chance of showers. Wind SW 12-18mph. Sunday: Variably cloudy with a few scattered showers. Winds will blow from the southwest in the morning and then shift westerly in the afternoon. Wind 12-18mph.
7.00pm: We were heaping praise on the press canteen earlier today after paying just £3.50 for a full English. But if that represents the easier front nine, tonight's meal (egg sandwich and crisps for a fiver) is the more unpleasant back nine. And I also metaphorically double bogeyed the last by going back for a piece of shortbread and paying £1.50.
6.15pm: More on-course stuff from DJ.... After following the marquee groups who were surrounded by huge galleries, I decided to spend a couple of holes with the final group to tee off, Nicolas Colsaerts, Anthony Millar and Grant Mullar. Apart from a few stragglers who seemed welded into their seats in the greenside grandstands, this was specatator golf for family and friends only. Apart from three-putting the first, Mullar looked very tidy indeed and his birdie putt that dropped on the second got particular rapturous applause from a woman seemingly dressed as the Pink Panther. I parted company from the trio on the third hole after Colsaerts uncorked a drive in a bid to reach the green which left the spotters looking at one another for clues as it disappeared into some nasty looking rough.
6.00pm: I bump into DJ in the media area behind the 18th green and we listen in as a couple of Aussie reporters grab a word with Robert Allenby. He's quite pleased with the way he played, saying he was always in play but just needs to hole more putts tomorrow. The laid-back Aussie won't have a job as a motivational speaker when he gives up golf but he's the best of our tips at one-under so we're right behind him.
5.50pm Sorry to harp on about Poulter's trousers but I'm glad I haven't backed him this week. While the likes of Mike Weir and Jerry Kelly are grinding away on the practice putting green, Poulter is wandering outside the clubhouse, giving TV interviews left, right and centre and saying things like "Yeah baby" when people start giggling at his pants. There's a big part of me that really likes his non-conformist attitude but the golf punter in me would be a bit hacked off by his carefree approach in a Major Championship if I'd put money on him.
5.15pm: Predictably, Ian Poulter gets more questions about his Union Jack trousers than he does about his level par 71. If you want a pair, they're designed by William Hunt although Poulter doesn't know how much they cost because he hasn't got the invoice yet. A tip Ian, always get a price before you purchase.
4.45pm: Co-leader Paul Casey raised a few eyebrows earlier this week after claiming that there would be more successful British golfers if they spent less time drinking. Let's hope we don't see him bevvied up, directing traffic later on then. My mate Linksman saw Glen Day in the pub on Tuesday night and the American shot a three-over 74 today. I've just checked and he only hit three fairways so the message is clear. Don't drink and drive. Possibly the lamest gag of the day that one.
3.45pm: So what were the best prices matched on co-leaders Paul Casey and Thomas Levet? Casey was matched at 130 for £49 while Levet traded at a high of 180 for £26.
3.15pm: DJ has just returned from a good ramble on the course so here's his take on the recent action....
I latched on to the threeball of Allenby, Goosen and Jay Haas and the former looked out of sorts for the opening four, including a sloppy dropped shot on the hole Gary Evans had made an albatross at this morning. But a cracking shot on the par three fifth to 10 feet (missed the putt) seemed to inspire him and he went and eagled number six after hitting a long iron second to two feet. Goosen does nothing too spectacular but is still under par while Haas shows us why his scrambling stats are so good in America with a couple of good up and downs. Decided to amble back to the Press tent and catch up with DT. Watched Troon's answer to Austin Powers, Ian Poulter, play his second to the 13th on the way – his screams of `you absolute dog' as the wind blew his shot wide of the green were nearly as loud as his trousers.
2.30pm: The importance of putting has been stressed time and time again this week and it's easy to see why. A quick check of the stats shows that leader Paul Casey has taken least putts (24) of the finishers so far. Driving the ball in the fairway doesn't seem massively important as the two most accurate players off the tee today - Shigeki Maruyama (13 fairways) and Chris DiMarco (12) - both only managed even par. Perhaps the relatively modest rough shows that players can get away with a few wayward drives. But iron play looks important. Ernie Els, Paul McGinley and Rich Beem lead the way in Greens In Regulation with 15 and all three shot two-under.
2.05pm: Colin Montgomerie's press conference is an emotional rollercoaster. Press officer Stewart McDougall announces that this is Monty's second best start in a Major and Montgomerie immediately quips back with: "I hope it's not my second best finish," before pausing and letting out a comedy laugh. Monty is full of praise for the crowd at the 12th for lifting his spirits after he dropped three shots in the previous two holes and then injects more humour. American journalists like to spin out their questions and as one starts off by saying "Colin, could you talk about..", Monty interjects and deadpans "I can talk about anything". But as the questions move onto how he's dealing with his changed circumstances following his marriage break-up, it all gets rather solemn. Monty answers with dignity but by the end you feel like he's going to turn to us with doe eyes and ask "group hug?"
1.42pm: Tiger Woods tees off and, unlike last year, he doesn't lose his ball with his opening drive.
1.21pm: Just before I head outside, Open leader Paul Casey comes into the press tent for his post-round interview. Although relaxed and assured with the media, Casey has a Garcia-like quirk of starting his sentences with "We" instead of "I". Someone points this out and Casey replies with a Colgate smile that he does it to disperse pressure and allows him to blame someone else. The "we", he says, includes his girlfriend and coach Peter Kostis. Hard to figure out how his girlfriend is involved when he says "we still left a couple of shots out there." He also informs us that whilst watching "Kill Bill" earlier this week, she walked out during one particular scene. I wonder which one. I don't know why but I just can't quite see him winning it this week even though he's a good bet for a Major sometime in his career.
1.20pm With Paul Casey leading the Open on five-under, we head off outside to see if another of our tips, Robert Allenby, can make inroads. We'll try and catch a bit of Tiger too. The world number one tees off at 1.42pm.
1.10pm: Kenny Perry wrote himself off completely yesterday and yet look at his start - an eagle at the first and a birdie at the second. I must not listen to golfers' quotes. Repeat. I must not listen to golfers' quotes.
12.35pm: Els comes in with a 69 - good, but not great, especially as he had the bonus of a hole-in-one.
12.30pm: I saw Paul McGinley by the putting green earlier on after he came in with a fine two-under 69. Despite today's good work, he was getting quite irate about the set-up of the course for next week's Irish Open, saying it was too tough.
12.25pm: A double bogey from Els sends him back to -4 and leaves one of the men he beat in the 2002 play-off, Thomas Levet, alone in first place. Another of the Muirfield four, Stuart Appleby, goes out in 33 to sit just one off the pace - excellent stuff by our 66/1 tip.
12.10pm: Thanks to DJ for putting in the last couple of diary entries. After watching Garcia's limp performance, I head off to the official merchandise tent. On the way in, I buy one of the official Open golf pocket radios – a must if you're out on the course and want to keep up with everything. After that I head towards one of the giant scoreboards where hole-by-hole records are shown for every player. Ernie's going well at three-under. Hang on, is that a `1' on his scorecard? It is! Get in there. It's not even 10.30am on the first day of the Open and already my hole-in-one bet's been landed. That's a useful £25 for the coffers and I need it at this rate. My tips aren't exactly covering themselves in glory. Garcia is two-over and, as I return to the press tent, Davis Love drives into a bunker at the last and misses his par putt to end with a disappointing one over 72. I also get to see two of my other tips – Stuart Appleby and Padraig Harrington – tee off at the sixth. Before they do so, a scowling Harrington instructs a marshal to go and lay down the law to a man using a mobile phone. Hmmm, I fear Padraig's not in the greatest of moods even though his score of level par is nothing to worry about. At least Appleby is going well at two-under and smashes his drive straight down the middle.
11.45am Just had a quick scout around the 18th green as the early groups start to filter through. Walking back towards the press tent, a dazzling light catches my eye from the practice putting green. It is dapper Ian Poulter, who has managed to raise the bar once again in the fashion stakes. He sports a pair of extremely patriotic union jack trousers. I look on top of the grandstand to see if they are missing a flag.
10.45am DJ and I have been out watching 'young gun' threeball Sergio Garcia, Trevor Immelman and Charles Howell III. The trio par the first two holes but Immelman and Garcia find bunker trouble off the third tee while Howell is in A1 position. Howell has not quite mastered controlling the ball in the freshening wind and his second gets carried over the back of the green. He drops a shot while Garcia and Immelman rescue themselves for a couple of pars. Ernie Els is making an ominous early move and has reached the turn in three-under-par.
9.10am: Rich Beem birdies eight and nine for an outward 31 and, at five-under, he leads by two. I wonder who backed him at 820 (819/1) on Betfair!
8.45am: DJ reports that Phil Mickelson sent his opening tee-shot way off line down the left and seemed to be slightly embarrassed as caddie 'Bones' cleared the galleries to give him a path to the green for his second shot. Mickelson pars but playing partners Paul Casey and Shigeki Maruyama both make birdie.
8.25am: 1997 Troon winner Justin Leonard has started birdie-birdie while fellow Texan Rich Beem, the 2002 USPGA champion, has joined Sweden's Carl Pettersson at the top of the leaderboard on three-under.
8.10am: It's still extremely calm out on the course although no-one is really tearing it up. There's eight players on two-under though, including our 33/1 tip Davis Love. The American drove into a bunker at the first but, balanced on one leg, played a superb chip to four feet and holed for birdie. Nick Price, the recommendation of my pro spread bettor friend, Keyser, is one under after three. I bumped into another mate, Shaker, by the first green. He flew up with two pals from Bristol yesterday and the trio, who all love a gamble, were on the phone to Betfair at 5.30am this morning. Great to see such dedication!
7.40am So much for watching David Duval make his start to the Open championship - the much troubled American has pulled out at the last minute and his place has gone to reserve David Griffiths (?). England's Gary Evans sets a searching early pace after five holes. He has got to three-under-par following an albatross at the par five fourth. The greens are in perfect nick but why bother puttting on them when you don't have to.
7.25am I am off out to watch the first of our outright tips get under way – Davis Love III. I shall stick around also to see how former Open champ David Duval begins following his well documented plummet down the rankings due to injury, ill health etc. Best of luck to him anyway.
7.15am DJ returns after watching the first couple of groups through the opening hole and reports that the breeze is starting to get up very slightly. Paul McGinley tees up for his opening shot but playing partner Rich Beem informs him that his ball is slightly in front of the marker – his blushes are saved. I don't think I have seen anyone tee the ball up quite so high – it was virtually level with his waist!
7.05am: Oh dear, 1973 Troon Open winner Tom Weiskopf has taken a four-over-par eight on the easy opening hole. Better news for another former Open champ though as Sandy Lyle birdies the first.
6.55am: The giant scoreboard in the press tent registers the first birdies of the day. Mark Calcavecchia, the winner of the Open here in 1989, bags a three at the short par-four first while Brad Faxon follows up a par at the opening hole with a birdie at the 391-yard par four second.
6.40am: Look out for low early scores is the message from Troon this morning. Although there's a slight breeze as we make the walk from DJ's car to the press tent, by the time Peter O'Malley hits the first shot of the 133rd Open Championship, sun is peeking through the clouds and the wind has almost died down completely. O'Malley takes a driver while playing partners Brad Faxon and Gary Evans both go with an iron. As the locals will tell you the back nine is where you make your score at Troon, so the early starters have a great chance to put birdies on the board in the benign early-morning conditions.
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