The afternoon groups have begun making their way around Muirfield, and everyone is chasing Zach Johnson who leads at 5-under. Tiger Woods is struggling to keep pace and is 1-over through six holes.
British Open leaderboard: Zach Johnson leads, Tiger Woods even
The first round of the British Open is in full swing and while a few players went low early, Muirfield is posing a tougher challenge in the afternoon.
Woods got off to a rough start after hooking his opening tee shot into the rough. He began the day with a bogey, but appeared to settle down afterwards. Three pars and a birdie had him back to even going to No. 6, but Woods once again ran into trouble. His approach shot landed on the green, but didn’t hold and ran down a slope and off the green. His attempt to chip back onto the green failed, and the ball rolled back to him, leaving him with an even worse lie.
His next attempt did find the green, but wasn’t close. Woods mitigated the damage by making a lengthy bogey putt.
Woods and the other players in afternoon groups are at a significant disadvantage compared to the players who went off in the morning. Muirfield was firm to open the day, but has only gotten faster with the sun continuing to bake down. The greens are extremely fast, with one ESPN commentator calling them possibly the fastest greens he’s seen in a major championship.
Of the 155 players in the field, only 24 are currently under par. Shiv Kapur at 3-under is the only player with a score better than 2-under who is playing in the afternoon. Here is a quick snapshot of the leaderboard.
| Score | Player | Thru |
| -5 | Zach Johnson | F |
| -4 | Rafael Cabrera-Bello | F |
| -3 | Miguel Angel Jimenez | F |
| -3 | Dustin Johnson | F |
| -3 | Brandt Snedeker | F |
| -2 | Phil Mickelson | F |
| -2 | Angel Cabrera | F |
| -1 | Bubba Watson | F |
| -1 | Jordan Spieth | 13 |
| E | Adam Scott | 8 |
| E | Graeme McDowell | 6 |
| E | Sergio Garcia | 9 |
| 1 | Ian Poulter | F |
| 1 | Tiger Woods | 6 |
| 8 | Rory McIlroy | F |
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