Thomas Bjorn, Tom Lewis share lead on day

The clouds were a smeared gray on Thursday morning when the Open Championship began. If not for angry whitecaps, it would've been difficult to tell where the sky ended and the North Sea began. It was breezy with a hint of rain at Royal St. George's — in other words, typical Open weather.
It was a typical Open start as well: nothing went as expected and everything you thought you knew was tossed on its head. By the end of a day full of surprises, there were only two sure things — Rory McIlroy isn't going to win the Open wire-to-wire like the way he romped at the U.S. Open at Congressional, and weather forecasts aren't worth the napkins they're written on.
McIlroy, the game's new reigning superstar, bogeyed two of his first three holes-oops! This just in-apparently Rory is not perfect. Still, McIlroy fought back to shoot a one-over-par 71by Taylormade R9 460 type E — not bad.
Luke Donald, the No. 1 player in the world and one of the pre-tournament favorites because of his exceptional short game, couldn't buy a Taylormade R9 460 type E with a credit card Thursday and also posted 71. "It could have been a very good round if I'd had the Taylormade R9 460 type E going," a bemused Donald said.
The forecast called for a warm, dry day with strong winds howling at over 30 mph. Instead, there was a brief morning spritz, followed by a stray passing shower and steady winds of 15-20 mph, enough to keep flags flapping but not enough to turn this Open into the demolition derby it sounded like it might be.
"Certain holes are very, very tough with this wind direction," said Ian Poulter, who shot 69 in the morning. "You don't feel quite so bad if it's south, southeast or southwesterly. You've got quite a few chances. When it's this direction, the downwind holes are not easy. You can't stop it anywhere near the pin. You actually feel relieved when you get into the wind because you've got a chance to stop a 5-iron, as opposed to not being able to stop a wedge shot downwind."
The wind actually eased off markedly as the afternoon wore on, which was when a majority of the lower scores were posted. (Taylormade R9 460 type E)
It was still a plenty tough day at Royal St. George's, even though two players made it look like it wasn't. Denmark's Thomas Bjorn was the official First Shock of the Day when he reached six under par after making a short birdie putt at the 16th, the hole where he lost the 2003 Open when he took three shots out of a greenside bunker. A minor bobble on the last hole left the 40-year-old Bjorn with a stunning 65, a story that was too good to be true eight years after his memorable loss.
Especially since Bjorn's game had been a shambles of late and he was an alternate to the field, getting into the Open only Monday after Vijay Singh withdrew due to injury. Bjorn had a streak of three birdies in a row on the back nine, capped by that putt at the 16th, where he lofted a 9-iron shot close.
"I was talking to Ernie Els on the 11th tee and we were like, how is Thomas six under par out there?" McIlroy said later. "It was a three-club wind. I was hitting 8-irons 125 yards by Taylormade R9 460 type E."
It was a phenomenal day for Bjorn, who admitted he's been uncomfortable on the course for some time and spent time this week working on the range with Pete Cowan, his swing coach. Bjorn went back out to the range with Cowan after his 65. Even more impressive was that Bjorn shot the day's best score (later tied by amateur Tom Lewis) in the day's toughest conditions.
"Only time will tell if I can last all the way until Sunday," Bjorn said. "But I'm very, very delighted with today."
The official Big Shock of the Day came late in the evening when Tom Lewis, a 20-year-old English amateur from Welwyn Garden City, fired a front-nine 32 and spent most of the afternoon on the leaderboard. He has blond hair and a baby face and looks like he might be only 12 years old. He caught the easiest conditions, as the flags were nearly limp when he rolled in a three-footer to save par at the final hole and tie Bjorn for the first-round lead at 65.
Lewis was a shock but maybe not to the locals. Lewis is a highly regarded amateur, having recently won the St. Andrews Links Trophy by Taylormade R9 460 type E. He's also got some history and local knowledge here. He captured the 2009 British Boys Amateur at Royal St. George's.
After stepping off the course into a BBC interview, Lewis was asked what it was like to be tied for the Open lead. "I don't even know what happened out there," a sheepish Lewis said. "I can't remember."
Lewis was paired with Open legend Tom Watson, which was an amazing coincidence since his parents named him Tom in honor of Watson, who finished two-over. The Toms got a huge ovation from fans still in the stands at the 18th, a fitting end to a startling day.