TROON, Scotland (Reuters) - Colin Montgomerie, boosted by one of the best strokes of his 29-year career, had the home crowd eating out of the palm of his hand as he posted a level-par 71 in the British Open first round on Thursday.
The 53-year-old Scot, who is a member at Royal Troon and was given the honor of hitting the first shot of the championship at 0635 local time, briefly led the field after reeling off five birdies in seven holes on the front nine.
The inward half, however, proved a much more difficult test in fresh winds and three bogeys on that stretch halted Montgomerie's progress.