Golf: Live Minute-by-minute Coverage of the Afternoon of Round One of the Open

4.03pm Daly's had his 15 minutes. He overhits his tee-shot at the par-three and it flies through the back of the green. If there is a smoking ban, big John certainly isn't adhering to it. "Isn't Sergio still dating Greg Norman's daughter?" asks Terry Kowal. I believe they are indeed courting, Terry. "What if they have a sprog? Poor kid would be more likely to choke than a supermodel downing a large doner kebab."

4pm leaderboard

McGinley -4

Campbell -3

Brier -3

Daly -53

Choi -2

Woods -2

Cink -2

Hanson -2

Donald -2

Cabrera -2

Furyk -2

Jimenez -2

Stenson -2

Tanigcughi -2

Sato -2

3.57pm John Daly's a man whose life has been full of untouchable highs and unfathomable lows, and after lucking out with an eagle on the last hole, he doesn't cash in on the next hole and rather throws away all his good work by missing a two-foot bogey putt. He's back to -3 and McGinley is back in the lead.

3.54pm Toru Taniguchi, like several of his compatriots today, is off to a flyer. Unfortunately the Japanese tend to suffer nosebleeds when they infringe on the leaderboard - none of his predecessors who made it to -2 have held on to their lofty position. "Hang on, are you not allowed to smoke whilst your playing golf now?" asks Martin Wadey. "Even though all that is above you is the beautiful blue sky and the never ending vastness of the universe? Does nobody have any concept of freedom anymore!" I'm sure you can smoke, Martin, although technically - technically - this is the place of work for these 150 'athletes'.

3.50pm What a wonderfully effortless swing the Big Easy has (yes, they're back on him). However, something is out of kilter because he keeps pushing his shots to the right. Elsewhere, Jim Furyk is looking good - sorry, I should rephrase that - is playing well, having holed a putt which travelled all the way across the green before disappearing from view. He's -2 at the turn. "To use a more appropriate football analogy, I think Sergio Garcia will be more like Newcastle United and go 50 years without a major championship," ha-ha-has Rob Hisnay.

3.47pm "Sergio should be dating Trinny or Susannah," says John McClure. "In fact, he might need to date both of them. What kind of hideous, pastel-based catastrophe is he wearing today?" I would tell you if the BEEB EVER LEFT OFF ERNIE ELSE'S FLAMING GROUP! .... finally, here's John Daly. Either he's standing in the rough between two fairways because he's looking for his ball, or else he's doing his best to flout the new UK smoking ban. No, it was the former, and he plays a scrappy second to the rough the other side of the fairway. He'll struggle to par this hole (the 12th).

3.43pm Scores of a few players not so far featured: Jimenez -2 after 7, Stenso ditto, Toms -1 after 9, Furyk -1 after 8, Dogherty -1 after 8, Singh -1 after 6, (my favorite) Boo Weekley -1 after 1, Adamson even after 14, Westwood even after 5, Mickelson +1 after 5, Fasth +2 after 8.

3.38pm Ernie Els. Five-iron. 12th hole. It's a bit of a shocker, the ball behaving like a London bus and not stopping where it's supposed to - on this occasion, in the rough to the right of the green. "Bit harsh indeed Fermin!!!" exclaims Kevin Savage, beating his, erm, keyboard. "I've always had a liking for the Swiss Miss, though Ana Ivanovic is now a pleasure to watch. Both look good, and unlike Kournikova, play good too. Actually, this was supposed to be about who Sergio should date, wasn't it? Sorry."

3.34pm BIG BAD JOHN!!!! He's the new leader after holing his second from the fairway at 11 for an eagle that takes him to -5! He sends his caddie to go and fetch the ball for him - no point wasting valuable energy. "Given that the Claret Jug has been won held aloft recently by such
outsiders as Paul Lawrie, Ben Curtis and Todd Hamilton, am I missing a trick in not placing £1 on every golfer except Tiger, Phil and Ernie?" Trying to outwit the bookies, Gary? That's a very, very dangerous game.

3.30pm "Monty's empty pram," headlines my colleague James Dart to introduce a PA story. "After a press conference on the eve of the Open that amounted to 3,677 words, Colin Montgomerie today limited himself to just six after signing for a two-over 73. Asked to speak to waiting reporters the Scot, making his 63rd attempt to win a major, told a press officer: 'I would rather not, thank you.' And with that he went straight to the practice putting green." Paul McGinley, meanwhile, has been talking to Gary Lineker: "I did play well today," he says. Crikey, with nuggets like that it's probably just as well Monty chose not to stir the assembled hacks from their sleep. "I haven't played like that for a while. I've been making cuts but not contending. That was a step up today and it was a good time to do it. I found something on the range this morning and just felt comfortable. I putted well - the greens are beautiful, and it was great to hear the roars go up."

3.27pm Sergio Garcia really is the Arsenal of the golfing world. Plenty of flair and imagination when it comes to creating chances ... unable to put the ball in the back of the net/hole. He's playing brilliantly from tee to green, says the BBC's man on the ground, but no mention of his putting as it again lets him down. He's -1 after 3, two shots better off than Gregory Havret - the Zinedine Zidane lookalike Frenchman has just finished his round with a bogey to leave him a single shot over par. "In Spain, we already lost hope with Sergio, especially after dating with Martina Hingis," says Fermin de Fernandez-Villaver. "What was he thinking about?" Bit harsh, Fermin. Who should young Sergio date? Any ideas?

3.23pm Robert Karlsson, the Peter Crouch of the golf circuit, slides a straight par putt a couple of the feet by the hole. He clearly doesn't have a good touch for a big man. "These players seem to be growing each year," says Mark James. "They just keep getting bigger and bigger. It's incredibly really." Is he saying what I think he's saying? Ernie also misses his short putt and Lucas Glover (-3) maintains his unlikely three-shot lead over his playing partners.

3.20pm "Nice scud you put on Ross Fisher there, Mike," says John McClure. "He just doubled twelve." Drat. "I was going to demand you mentioned the exploits of Rory McIlroy (who is one under through five), but maybe it'd be better if you didn't." Sorry, John, too late. He'll be on his way down that leaderboard shortly.

3.17pm Delightful 60-yard wedge shot from Ernie, looping the ball from the light rough, over an awesome bunker, and onto the putting surface six feet from the hole. And over at the 10th big John Daly, fresh from being attacked by his wife with a steak knife a few weeks ago, sinks another long putt to move to three under.

3.15pm "I've got a few quid each way on Rory McIlroy (-1 after 5) at 1000-1," says N Holmes. "Feeling very smug about that at the moment." Enjoy it while you can, N. I reckon McGinley should probably enjoy being the leader of the Open Championship while he can as well - he's holed out to record a round of 67.

3.10pm Paul McGinley, our leader (in a golfing, not spiritual, sense), is playing the last. Having landed his ball in a bunker that is as long as the Sahara, he plays a canny sand wedge to within five feet of the hole. He'll have that to stay one clear of current clubhouse leader Michael Campbell.

Hello again Conditions are ripe for good scoring. The wind has dropped, there's no rain, and Ernie Els, Luke Donald, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson are all out on the course. The man I'm most interested in, though, is Ross Fisher, the young Englishman who is -1 after 11. I've got a pound on him at 820-1! Come on Ross!