Sungjae Im and Dan Brown still hold the lead of the 154th Open with four-under-par rounds of 66 compiled earlier today, with seven players a shot behind on three under.

The scoring doesn't appear to be as low this afternoon - nobody currently on the course is any better than two under presently.

South Africa's MJ Daffue signs off with a par to record a fine three-under 67 on his Open Championship bow.

It is only the 37-year-old's second ever appearance in a major and he will sleep well tonight with the score under his belt.

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist at Royal Birkdale

Image source, BBC Sport

A little while ago on the second hole, Matt Fitzpatrick faced the kind of shot a fair few amateurs would be reluctant to take on - me included.

Two hundred people surrounding your ball which is well out of position, sitting in a smothering of sand that borders many of the walkways around the fairway fringes of Birkdale.

Normal procedure for a pro, of course, and Fitzpatrick duly showcased the sterling approach play that has underpinned his fine year so far by stiffing what was effectively a 159-yard bunker shot to the middle of the green.

Having played "flawlessly" in practice, Tommy Fleetwood was not overly enamoured with the quality of his play today.

But an under-par round at Birkdale is not to be sniffed at.

Watch his interview with the BBC below.

Shane Lowry looks frustrated. Having just had a birdie putt not drop, he now coughs up a shot after a heavy-handed third into the third which scoots 14 feet past the pin.

Englishman Aaron Rai and Brooks Koepka both pick up pars as they tick off another hole.

The short par-four fifth has given up a lot of birdies today with a scoring average of 3.79.

Matt Fitzpatrick and Xander Schauffele opt to lay back and both find the green with wedge in hand, but neither drain the birdie putts!

Rory McIlroy decided to take it on with a three wood and leaves himself in an awkward little gully, on a downslope and with a cavernous bunker between ball and flag.

Hmm, maybe he clipped it too well, as his ball checks up 12 feet from the pin...and his putt misses on the right.

Nothing but frustration for this big-name trio so far.

Ben Croucher
BBC Sport journalist at Royal Birkdale

The final group has just teed off at 16:21 BST with the galleries not as busy, it's fair to say.

Given that Tommy Fleetwood's round took close to six hours to complete, these guys will be finishing at about 22:00 BST at the current rate unless they get a wriggle on.

BBC Weather tells me the Southport sunset is at 21:33 BST, meaning they may be racing the clock and the fading light, as if the challenge of Royal Birkdale wasn't hard enough.

Kazuki Higa, Jiho Yang and Nevill Ruiter will then have to try to get some shut eye before teeing it up at 11:15 BST on Friday.

Image source, St Enodoc Golf Club

A heart-warming tale has reached us from storied north Cornwall club St Enodoc, which features the famed Church and Holywell courses - designed by five-time Open champion James Braid.

It really does show that golf is for all when Derek Kingsbury could celebrate his 100th birthday by playing with six-year-old Louis Westlake.

Both are members at St Enodoc and Derek - a member for nearly 40 years and former club captain - still plays the club's second course, the Holywell, two-to-three times a week.

Has anyone played golf with a partner with a bigger difference in age than 94 years? Drop us a line and let us know the biggest gap in ages you know of - pictures welcomed!

And many happy returns Derek - we're all wondering now if he beat his age!

Former Masters champion Patrick Reed, who announced in January that he was leaving the LIV Golf series, has been one of the form players in 2026 - winning two events on the DP World Tour and twice finishing inside the top 12 at the majors.

After a birdie at the first, bogeys on the fourth and sixth mean he's one over playing the ninth.

A great bounce-back birdie from Brooks Koepka, who slings his tee shot into the fairway bunker just short of the dance floor on the short par-four fifth and then splashes out to three feet.

Aaron Rai

Shane Lowry also makes a par albeit the Irishman looks bemused when his birdie putt circles the cup and somehow doesn't drop.

Image source, Reuters

All three in this trio have a dart at the green on the fifth, a short par four.

Wyndham Clark finds a bunker from the tee and eventually has to sink an eight-footer to prevent himself falling back to three over.

Ludvig Aberg misses a makeable birdie chance and so too does Cameron Young, who leaves his putt right of the cup.

Alex Miceli
US golf reporter on BBC Radio 5 live

Francesco Molinari had a stretch where he could have won a Masters.

Then he went away completely and we never heard from him again.

This is maybe a rebirth, but we don't know. It is so early.

Image source, Getty Images

Tommy Fleetwood, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live after his opening round of one-under 69:

"I was pretty nervous on the first tee. I'm normally fine on first tees. I was a little bit nervy. Just excitement and everything. It was a tough day. I didn't play how I would want to play, but I battled really well.

"The support was amazing. I think to have shot under par, I am happy with that. I struggled on the front nine and I scrambled really well.

"I was under through nine and I started hitting some fairways. Then on 10, 11 and 12 the iron shots were atrocious. I was constantly giving myself a lot to do and eventually that is going to catch up with you.

"I was as patient as I could be with it. I stuck with it. I got to 14 and two par fives left. I was only one over.

"That middle bit of the round was always going to catch up with me on how I was hitting it. To get in under par is brilliant.

"I will go and hit some balls. I have been playing really well. I feel it shouldn't be that far away. I have been playing very, very good, so hopefully it is not too far away and I can get it fixed by tomorrow."

Image source, Getty Images

Not quite! A lovely shot into the par-three fourth sets up a good birdie chance for Matt Fitzpatrick, but the world number three leaves it in the jaws!

Xander Schauffele matches the Englishman's three, but it's a bogey for Rory McIlroy after a poorly played hole.

He pushed his tee shot way right, was heavy-handed with the chip coming back across the green and failed to make a 15-footer.

Collin Morikawa has holed two very nice birdie putts on the fifth and sixth holes and he's now two under, two off the lead.

Morikawa won the Open on debut in 2021 and has missed the cut in three of the following four years, but there are some who expect him to contend this week.

Image source, Getty Images

A day to remember for David Howard.

The Irish amateur, who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis aged seven, qualified for the Open at Dundonald Links and made his major championship debut today.

With his father on the bag, he cards an opening 74 after mixing six bogeys and two birdies.

He may need a round in the 60s tomorrow to secure passage to the weekend, but today was a big step in an inspirational journey for the 27-year-old.

Read more about Howard's journey to Birkdale here.

Ben Parsons
The Todays Golfer journalist on BBC Radio 5 Live

Sungjae Im is one of the most consistent players on the PGA Tour.

They call him the cash machine. He racks up top 10s like nobody's business.

Image source, Getty Images

Cameron Young is a couple of yards off target to the green on the par-three fourth hole and his ball trickles down into a greenside bunker.

It's a superb recovery by the American, who gets a faceful of sand as he splashes out to within three feet.

Ludvig Aberg misses a six-footer for par and Wyndham Clark does likewise, albeit from slightly further out.