Colin Montgomerie and Rory McIlroy find form after off start

COLIN Montgomerie's return to The Open got off to a nightmare start on his home course of Royal Troon with a double-bogey six at the first.

The 53-year-old, a runner-up in majors four times at the peak of his career but who had to come through final qualifying just to get here, paid the penalty for dumping his pitching wedge approach in the front bunker.

A plugged lie meant he failed to escape at the first attempt, had to come out backwards into the rough from where he chipped to two feet for a six on the gentle 370-yard opening hole.

Playing partners Luke Donald, a late entry after the withdrawal of South African Jaco van Zyl, and Australian Marc Leishman both birdied from 12 feet and eight feet respectively.

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The first tee grandstand was packed for to see the first group go off at 6.35am with Montgomerie, playing in the championship for the first time since 2010, given the honour of hitting the first shot.

"The goal is to make the cut and walk down the 18th fairway on Sunday," he told Sky Sports just before he teed off.

Montgomerie went on to miss a 35-foot birdie attempt at the second, settling for a two putt par. 

However, from that point he responded magnificently with some vintage golf reminiscent of his heyday, when he was European number one eight times, to card five birdies in seven holes from the third.

That saw him turn in a three-under 33 in a share of the lead.

In particular, Montgomerie's approach at the par-three fifth to five feet was a reminder of days gone by but just when he seemed to be back in the swing of things he missed the short, curling putt to remain at level par.

If he was frustrated by that it did not show as he almost holed his pitch for eagle at the 601-yard sixth, allowing him to finally get into red figures.

He maximised his vast local knowledge at the Postage Stamp, using the contours of the famous par-three eighth green to get his tee shot to nine feet and move to two under, which became three under with his fifth birdie of the day at the next.

Playing partner Leishman also had an uneven start to the opening round, bogeying the second before holing a putt from off the back of the third green to get back to one under - but he was already trailing Sang-hee Lee, who birdied his first two holes.

However, he caught the South Korean with his third birdie of the day at the par-five fourth when he splashed out of a bunker to a couple of feet.

Hampshire's Scott Gregory, the 2016 Amateur champion, got his Open debut off to a dream start with an eight-foot birdie putt at the first.

However, Holywood's Rory McIlroy had to battle to stay in contention over the first few holes. 

McIlroy had to save par from sand on the first two holes but took advantage of the fourth and sixth, both downwind par fives, before holing from 12 feet for another birdie on the seventh.

The world number four had taken "eight or nine" at the famous Postage Stamp in practice after struggling to get out of a greenside bunker, but had no such problems when it mattered thanks to a superb tee shot to just two feet from the hole.

And things could have got even better on the ninth, where his approach clattered into the pin and finished 15 feet from the hole, from where he was unable to convert the birdie putt.

However, at four under par McIlroy was in a share of the lead with American Ryder Cup star Patrick Reed and Korea's Soomin Lee as the real challenge of the back nine began.

After parring the first three holes after the turn McIlroy's round hit a snag at the 13th. A poor approach into the 473 yard par-four left the him in damage limitations territory.

The Holywood man did well to scramble his way to a comfortable putt for bogey but failed to hole out from short range, having to settle for a double-bogey six instead.

Things went from bad to worse on the par-three 14th as McIlroy dropped another shot after finding the sand from the tee. Forced to chip out to the back of the green, McIlroy was in three putt territory again, 45 feet from the hole. He produced two decent putts to 'save' bogey, but had tumbled down the leaderboard after sacrificing three shots in two holes. 

McIlroy managed to get one back with a birdie at the 15th but failed to make any more headway in the closing holes, eventually finishing with a two-under 69 and a tie for 20th.

One of the main talking points of the day was Louis Oosthuizen heroics at the 14th. 

After being advised by his caddie not to take a five-iron into the 178 yard par-three, the South African hit a six-iron straight at the pin that landed three feet short, bounced once and disappeared into the hole for an ace, bringing him back to level par for the day.

Oosthuizen has been known to produce spectacular shots at major tournaments, carding an unbelievable albatross on the 575-yard second during the 2012 Masters, holing his 253 yard four-iron approach. Four years later, back at Augusta National, he carded a remarkable hole in one at the famous par-three 16th during his final round at the 2016 Masters. 

But the South African failed to capitalise on the momentum gained from his ace at the 14th, parring the final four holes to finish with a level-par 71, five shots shy of clubhouse leader Patrick Reed.