Opening round play is underway at the 2009 British Open at Turnberry, and a number of golfers are already in the clubhouse with their first day in the books.

For Tiger Woods, it was not a first day to remember.

On a day that by all accounts, and judging by the scores, was tailor-made for low scores, Tiger struggled and finished with a 1-over 71 while being outshot by his playing partners Lee Westwood and Ryo Ishikawa.  

As it sits right now at 9:00 CT, Tom Watson is in the lead at -5 after firing a nostalgic 65.  John Senden, Steve Stricker, Camilo Villegas, Stewart Cink, and Mathew Goggin are all in the clubhouse at -4, with Mark Calcavecchia, Mark O’Meara, and Vijay Singh sitting pretty as -3.

As for Tiger, here is was Jason Sobel had to say about Tiger’s round at his live blog on ESPN.com:

After a pair of bogeys on 15 and 16, Tiger Woods finishes par-par to shoot a 1-over 71.

That’s his first over-par opening total at the British Open since 2003, when he shot a 73 at Royal St. George’s en route to a T-4 result.

On a day when scoring conditions were optimal, he has to be disappointed.

In fact, the most telling stat of his round may be that playing partners Lee Westwood and 17-year-old Ryo Ishikawa each beat him by 3 shots.

Here’s what Tiger Woods had to say about his round of 1-over 71:

“I certainly made a few mistakes out there today. Realistically, I probably should have shot about 1-or 2-under-par today. But I made a few mistakes, and consequently I’m at 1-over,” he said. “I hit a couple of shots to the right today, and three-ripped a hole from about 15 feet, and I didn’t take advantage of 17. So there you have it.”

Let’s break down the numbers …

• Driving accuracy: 57.1 percent (8 of 14)
• Greens in regulation: 66.7 percent (12 of 18)
• Total putts: 30

Still attempting to find a breakdown of clubs used off the 14 driving holes for Woods. If/when I get it, I’ll let you know.

By the way, if you’re at work and cannot watch the Open, Sobel’s blog is a good source for running commentary. Somehow I always end up there when the Majors are happening.

Anyway, not an optimal beginning for Tiger, who I thought was primed for a breakout performance after his Masters and US Open struggles (and who apparently was playing with rubber golf clubs). We’ll see if he can rebound tomorrow, and if the conditions continue to be favorable for such low scoring.

* – Tiger Woods photo credit: OpenGolf.com