British Open scores 2013: Zach Johnson leads, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods 2-under

The first round of the British Open had a bit of a U.S. Open-like feel to it as difficult course conditions led to many players struggling to stay under par. Zach Johnson took advantage of easier morning conditions, shooting a 5-under 66 to take the first-round lead.

With warm weather and plenty of sunlight on Thursday, Muirfield became more difficult throughout the day as the sun baked the course, making it extremely firm. Fast greens and tricky pin positions led to several players complaining about the setup of the course after their round. Johnson said he was “shocked” by some of the pin placements while Stewart Cink tweeted the greens were the fastest he’d seen in an Open.

Ian Poulter was even more critical, tweeting the pin position on No. 8 was a “joke.” He said the 18th hole needed a windmill and clown face, comparing the green to one you’d find on a miniature golf course. Tiger Woods called the greens “fiery” while Jordan Spieth said they were becoming “glassy” as the round went on.

The challenging course conditions caused many players to falter and just 20 of the 156-player field finished the first round in red figures. Woods is among the group in the red despite playing late in the day. He struggled some on the front nine, going out in 37, but turned things around on the backside, finishing with a 2-under 69. He’s tied for ninth place after the first round, with Mickelson and Spieth also at 2-under.

Johnson holds a one-stroke lead over Rafael Cabrera-Bello and Mark O’Meara. O’Meara struggled as the day went on, but an eagle on No. 17 moved him into a tie for second place. He nearly moved into a share of the lead, but his birdie attempt on No. 18 just lipped out.

Shiv Kapur authored the most surprising round of the day, briefly taking the lead at 6-under despite playing in one of the final pairings. The No. 210 player in the world golf rankings, Kapur birdied six of his first seven holes. A double bogey on No. 10 dropped him out of the lead, but he still finished the day 3-under and in a tie for fourth place.

Woods, O’Meara and Kapur should have an advantage on Friday. All three will tee off in the morning pairings and should have more favorable conditions. Here is a look at the leaderboard through the first round.

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