Garcia lead remains intact

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Garcia's opening 65 gave the 27-year-old a two-shot cushion over Ryder Cup team-mate Paul McGinley, with Tiger Woods two shots further back on two under as he seeks a third straight Open title.

McGinley was not due out again until 3.15pm and none of the early starters were able to make a significant move up the leaderboard - Ireland's Padraig Harrington remained two under par with five straight pars, the same score as Northern Ireland amateur Rory McIlroy.

McIlroy was the only player not to card a single bogey yesterday in his hugely impressive 68, which evoked memories of Justin Rose finishing fourth as a 17-year-old at Birkdale in 1998, but he was unable to maintain that proud record for long.

The 18-year-old found heavy rough and a fairway bunker on the second and had to hole from seven feet to salvage a bogey five, and then missed a good birdie chance on the next.

Jim Furyk was also two under after a bogey on the second was sandwiched between birdies on the first and third, but Luke Donald's hopes of becoming Europe's first major winner since Paul Lawrie were dashed in the space of six holes.

Donald birdied the second to move to two under but then ran up a six on the next after driving into a bunker and three-putting. Worse was to follow as he drove out of bounds on the par-five sixth - usually a good birdie opportunity - to take a triple-bogey eight and slump to three over par.