Our golf betting guru Dave Tindall is on hand for the whole of the 134th Open Championship. He'll bring you the very latest news and gossip from St Andrews.

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Thursday July 14

21.50: We'll end with a quote from 1995 St Andrews winner John Daly. Asked why he missed the Champions dinner, Daly replied: "I didn't bring a coat or anything. I'm not into dinners man. You can't get a coat and a tie on this fat boy!" After all the stodge we've consumed today, we know how he feels. Time to drive back to Collessie and get some sleep.

21.45: Yes, we're still here. You need a lift after such a long day at the coalface and it's given to us by Maarten Lafeber. The Dutchman is our banker three-ball punt of the day and does the business by four shots.

20.05: Tiger Woods leading the Open is THE story on day one at St Andrews so well done to Mark Hensby for realising he has to play second fiddle. The Aussie gets to five-under with four holes to play but there he stays, missing a birdie putt at the last to draw level. Dave and I see Hensby finish off as he's playing in the same group as our 125/1 each-way tip Graeme McDowell. They play the final two holes in bright sunshine with McDowell, sporting black and white checked pants, hitting one of the shots of the day at the final hole. His drive finishes pin high and, although he can't make the eagle, the birdie gives him an excellent three-under-par 69. The Northern Irishman is nicely placed.

18.30: Do you believe in the 'Nappy Factor'? - the theory that says the birth of a first child can have a galvanising effect on a golfer's fortunes. It's a controversial theory and many believe it can have the opposite effect and be detrimental in the short term at least. Chris Riley's post-round comments today certainly supported the the latter belief. Riley told reporters: "It's a whole different learning experience with a kid and unfortunately my game has suffered a bit but I wouldn't trade it for the world. When you come out on tour when you're 23 or 24 it's all golf. You're hungry and ready to go. I've done that and now I'm 31 and I'm adjusting. Fatherhood has definitely changed me. I'm trying to find the hungriness I once had."

18.05: Suddenly a burst of rain hits St Andrews and up go the umbrellas. It seems to have an immediate effect on Sergio Garcia who leaves his birdie putt well short on 13 and ends up bogeying to fall back to four-under. Phil Mickelson continues to go backwards and a bogey at the Road Hole 17th sees him slump to +3. It will take a massive turnaround for the left-hander to win from here.

17.46: All the journalists are keeping a rather worried eye on Sergio Garcia as the Spaniard is threatening to undo all their nightleads about Tiger Woods leading after day one. The Spaniard has moved to five-under afer 12 and has six holes left in which to overhaul Wooods' -6. The way he's playing, it's a real possibility.

17.45: Els can only par the 18th and finishes two over - eight behind Tiger. Another of the 'Big Five', Phil Mickelson, has also slipped to +2 after a triple bogey. But better news for the 1995 champion John Daly who is two-under.

17.30: Ernie Els sends his drive through the back of the green at the par four 18th but unless he can hole his second he's going to finish over par for the day. Not a good start by the South African. One of the biggest flops on day one is Jim Furyk. The US Ryder Cup star has been in good form lately but is currently seven over par.

17.00: Both Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson commented on how impressed they were by Luke Donald's putting today. "I'm trying to learn something about that putting stroke. Boy, he putted beautifully out there today," said Watson. The stats back up those observations as Donald's 27 putts today hasn't been bettered. The other three who took just 27 swishes on these huge greens were Retief Goosen, Scott Verplank and, surprise surprise, Tiger Woods. Of those four, Woods leads and the other three are tied second so putting could be the key this week.

16.10: The wind is really picking up now and I'd be amazed if anyone matched or bettered Woods' six-under. Steve Webster, who got level with Tiger after an eagle on nine, has dropped back to -4 after successive bogeys.

16.05: So how are our five tips doing? Well it's a mixed bag really. Obviously Woods is the shining light at six-under while Phil Mickelson is two-under after 10 and Graeme McDowell one-under after five. Davis Love (+3 finished) and Darren Clarke (+1 after 12) are letting the side down a bit though. Hills' latest betting has Woods as the 5/4 favourite with Mickelson joint second best at 14/1 alongside Luke Donald (-4) and Retief Goosen (-4). Clarke is out to 50s while Love and McDowell are 125s.

15.45: Do players actually know what odds they are before teeing off? Well, defending champion Todd Hamilton did. Asked if he felt more pressure this year, the American replied: "Not really. I don't take it any differently. Obviously the bookies didn't either. I was 200 to 1."

15.35: Colin Montgomerie sent a message of warning to the rest of the field after seeing the name T Woods on top of the leaderboard. "It's ominous who's on top of the board. Ominous," said Monty. If there's a course built for him, it's this one. He won by eight shots last time here and who says he won't do the same again?"

15.30: Nice to see that Mark Calcavecchia's priorities haven't changed down the years. When asked how busy the crowds were at 6.30am this morning, former Open champ Calc, who played in the first group of the day, replied: "It was pretty quiet. If I was spectating I don't think I'd be out there that early. I don't think you can even get a beer that early."

15.25: At last Tiger has some company at the top of the leaderboard and it's an Englishman - Steve Webster. An outrageous eagle at nine, his second of the round, has taken Webster to the turn in just 30. But it may be a brief stay on top for this year's Italian Open champion as he's just driven into a bunker on 10 and the ball is right up against the lip. 'Steve who?' say some of the American journalists behind me. Come on, make an effort. He's not that obscure.

14.15: The 17th, the famous Road Hole, has been catching plenty out and I saw Stephen Ames and Stephen Dodd take 13 shots between them as a combination of tarmac and sand put a blot on their scorecards. But Colin Montgomerie played a magical shot, chipping onto the path, riding his ball up the bank and watching it settle near to the hole.

14.05: The action has been coming thick and fast out on the course in the last 90 minutes. While Tiger birdied the last to record a 66 and a two-shot lead, Phil Mickelson was just setting out on the first. The left-hander will be acutely aware that he has to post something around three-under to stay in touch. Before Woods finished off, Jack Nicklaus made what looks likely to be his penultimate walk up the 18th. Today's 75 was a fair effort but leaves him a lot to do to make the cut. Having watched him on the practice putting green this morning it was no surprise at all to see that he'd taken 35 putts and it's hard to see how he can turn it around. Tom Watson also came in with a 75 and full credit to Luke Donald for keeping his concentration and handling the occasion by shooting an excellent four-under 68. I've just watched another former champion, David Duval, on his opening hole. Duval's slump since his 2001 Open win at Lytham has been well documented and I just hope he can pull out a bit of magic here. It was a little worrying to see his tee-shot go so far right at the 1st but he got his par without much fuss. He's also got a four at the tricky second so it's a decent start. I passed a still determined looking Tiger as I walked back to the press tent. That 'I mean business' look hasn't eased up despite the fact that he can now put his feet up and watch if any of the afternoon starters can catch him. Mickelson and Ernie Els have both started the chase and are one-under.

12.30: Tiger pars 15 and is still two clear with three to play. I'm off out to see him complete his round.

12.20: Ian Poulter's choice of trousers this year has been decided by the winner of a special competition. I was hoping it would be a Blue Peter competition winner and he'd have to wear pants with a really bad crayon drawing of a lighthouse on them. Not to be unfortunately. Instead, Poulter will play in a blue pair with a Claret Jug on one leg and a list of the Open champions on the other. Nice.

12.15: Dave and I attend the Retief Goosen press conference and, as usual with the South African, he has little of real interest to say. He certainly doesn't look like a man who has just carded a four-under 68 to take the clubhouse lead. Goosen says he's still not entirely happy with his game but his putting was better today as his knowledge of the course allows him to read the breaks on the greens.

12.10: While I'm out, the Tiger Woods bandwagon comes to a halt as he bogeys 13 and only pars the 14th. I return to the press tent just in time to observe the two minutes silence for the London bomb victims. All the press stand up to pay their respects.

11.25: And so it goes on. Tiger goes to seven-under! I'm just popping into the town to find a cashpoint as the one in the tented village has a massive queue. I expect Tiger to be 10-under by the time I get back!

11.10: What on earth is Tiger going to card now? He's just curled in a majestic putt on 11 and is now six-under - three shots clear. We're less than four hours into this tournament and Woods is already odds-on.

11.00: Tiger's flying start continues and a birdie at 10 takes him to five-under - two shots clear. He has another birdie chance on 11. No wonder Sporting Odds make him just even money to win the tournament.

10.45: A dream start for Tiger as he goes out in four-under 32 to take the lead by a shot. His drive on the fifth, one of the two holes used in the Driving Distance stats, measured in at 349 yards - the longest so far.

10.40: There's an unfamiliar amateur called Lloyd Saltman just two off the pace. I keep wanting to call him Lloyd Grossman altough rather than being an American who mispronounces vowels, this Lloyd is a 19-year-old from Edinburgh, who will be appearing on the 2005 GB&I Walker Cup team. Dave John is out on the course, thus ruining my "David, it's over to you" gag.

10.35: The first group whizzed around the Old Course in just three hours 44 minutes - excellent going when compared to previous years. I've just popped outside and the wind is definitely picking up. Definite jumper weather now. At the top of the leaderboard a double bogey has sent Retief Goosen back to two-under, leaving Tiger Woods in a tie for the lead.

10.10: Retief Goosen has raced to four-under and leads by one from Luke Donald, Kenny Perry, Robert Allenby and now Tiger Woods. Going into a bunker didn't exactly hurt Tiger did it as he pitches out and makes birdie. He shares a smile with Jose Maria Olazabal's caddie, as if to say that bunkers are no big deal.

9.57: Wow. Tiger has finally gone in a bunker. After avoiding them for all 72 holes in 2000 and the first six of today's round, he's finally found sand. There's mock shock and horror in the press tent.

9.45: A welcome sight on the TV in front of me as our 40/1 tip Davis Love birdies the first.

9.40: Robert Allenby, a man I've tipped/backed in countless Opens but have now given up on, is taunting me by moving to the head of the leaderboard on three-under. Tiger is tracking him though and another birdie on five takes Woods to two-under.

9.25: Just before Tiger holed out for par at the second, it started raining. However, it lasted barely two minutes so off came the hat again. The latest weather forecast suggests showers are likely all through the day with the wind picking up to 15-20mph around midday before dying down again around 6pm. Friday's forecast says "morning clouds then gradually becoming partly sunny by noon." Winds will be 8-12mph.

9.15: Tiger looks deadly serious as he marches to the first tee. After walking away once, he steps up again and hits his low stinger down the left. A nice pitch leaves him a makeable putt but it slides by. At the second, his approach misses the putting surface. But a fine putt from off the green which climbs a bank and rolls down the other side gives him a straightforward par putt. At the third, Tiger again plots his way down the left-hand side of the course. He tries a bump and run this time with his second but comes up short. He hits another fine putt from off the green and bends his knees as it slides by. Three solid pars. It's playing partner Robert Allenby who bursts out of the blocks as he peppers the flag with his approaches to the first and third, leaving easy birdie putts which he makes. The Aussie is tied for the lead on two-under. As I make the long walk back from the third to the press tent, the TV in front of me shows Tiger making his first birdie. When he shot 19-under and won by eight shots in 2000, Woods started with eight successive pars so you could say he's already ahead of schedule.

8.15: I am off out to watch Tiger Woods for a couple of holes to see how he gets his championship under way.

8.05: Fantastic start for both Nicklaus and Watson as they birdie the opening hole and are tied for the lead.

8.00: Dave is back from his early morning stroll so I'll hand over to him: Semi-comical scenes on the second tee with the first group as Rory Sabbatini prepares to drive only to realise that he has gone out of turn and it is Simon Dyson next up. The blearly-eyed South African shuffles off to side with a grin and admits to the gallery that he is still half asleep. Fair enough, his alarm call probably went off around 4am. Sabbatini then plays the hole in the fashion of someone who needed another 20 minutes kip as he zig-zags his way up a pretty straightforward par four and notches a bogey five. There is plenty of activity around the practice range with Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Tiger Woods among others all warming up. Nicklaus departs for the first tee but still has time to pose for a couple of photos and sign some autographs en route to the courtesy car. Legendary stuff.

7.45: I've just witnessed a great scene out on the practice putting green with Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson getting prepared for today's round. Looking at that duo with the hotel in the background is a fantastic sight and it would be wonderful if they could roll back the years today. The chances look slim though. Jack misses short putts galore although, fascinatingly, when Watson comes to watch he starts draining them. The old competitive spirit still burns bright. Watson also plays to type, missing a few short ones with a jabby action but draining some from distance. Luke Donald has the honour of partnering these two but you can't help thinking that he'll end up feeling like a spare part. He looks a little nervous out on the putting green and isn't holing many.

7.30: A disastrous start for England's Lee Westwood as he double bogeys the opening hole.

7.30: Only Rich Beem of the 12 players out on the course is under par. The 2002 USPGA champion is one-under after two. Joe Durant brings up the rear on two over after bogeys at two and three.

7.25: We're staying in a little place called Collessie about 15 miles outside of St Andrews. It's very picturesque but consists of just a few houses and a church so we opted to eat in St Andrews last night. We found a pub-grub type place called Littlejohn's - not exactly the sort of place for spotting golfers, until lo and behold in walked Chad Campbell! Looking remarkably casual in jeans and baseball cap, Campbell could have been anyone except that he's banked over a million dollars in prize money this year and has career earnings of $8.4 million. It wasn't long before Dave and I had money on our minds too, figuring that if we go down with food poisoning, we'll quickly lay Campbell on the exchanges as he'll probably suffer too. So far this morning we feel fine so that's that plan of attack out of the window. After eating we found a pub willing to put on the Liverpool v TNS game. Several journalists, including the Daily Mail's Derek Lawrenson and the Racing Post's Steve Palmer, watched on as Steven Gerrard's hat-trick eased the holders to a 3-0 win. Walking through the town back to the press tent we also spotted a bit of Fanny - Suneson that is, Nick Faldo's ex-caddie.

7.10: Just to remind you, here are the five bets we have running for us this week:

10pts win Tiger Woods at 7/1
2.5pts e.w. Phil Mickelson at 18/1
2pts e.w. Darren Clarke at 33/1
2pts e.w. Davis Love at 40/1
1pt e.w. Graeme McDowell at 125/1

The Woods bet was advised back in December so it's good to have 7/1 when it looks as if he'll go off today (8.20am) at no bigger than 11/4. Clarke and Love have also been cut to 25s and 33s respectively so at least we have the value even if they do all flop!

7.05: It's pretty quiet in the press tent at the moment with only the booming voice of Bob Bubka asking a colleague if he wants a coffee disturbing the tranquility.

7.00am: Trouble at the 453-yard par 4 second hole as the opening group all make bogey. Calc slips back to level par with Dyson and Sabbatini now one over.

6.45am: The first red number on the scoreboard at the front of the press tent goes up as Calcavecchia birdies the opening hole. Dyson and Sabbatini make par. Dave J has gone out to follow the opening group for a few holes so we'll get his report later.

6.35am: The Open championship is in play. Simon Dyson has the honour of striking the first ball and plants one down the middle. It's hard to do otherwise at St Andrews with the first fairway running alongside the 18th, making the landing area the biggest in golf. Rory Sabbatini and 1989 Open champ Mark Calcavecchia are also quick to pick their tees up and the three march off to play their approaches to the opening hole. It's a grey morning here in St Andrews although the flags at the top of the grandstands are only fluttering gently. On the practice putting green a trio of Americans - Rich Beem, Shaun Micheel and Joe Durant - try to hone their strokes ahead of their early morning starts.