Jimenez shines as Watson takes plaudits

Two months short of his 60th birthday the five-time Open champion made a dream start to what he insists is not simply a trip down memory lane this week.

After his superb 65 Watson, set to be the oldest player ever to lead a major until Jimenez two-putted the long 17th and then made a 60-footer for another birdie on the two holes, declared: "I feel that I'm playing well enough to win. I feel inspired playing here."

Padraig Harrington, meanwhile, began his bid for the first Open hat-trick since Peter Thomson in 1956 with a 69 - a big step in the right direction after five successive missed cuts on the European and American tours.

Watson's 65 was matched by 2003 champion Ben Curtis and right at the end of the day by Japan's Kenichi Kuboya, who finished sensationally - birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie - for an inward 30.

Curtis, 396th in the world six years ago when he became the first debutant to take the title since Watson at Carnoustie in 1975, now stands 27th in the rankings. His four birdies in the last six holes made dinner taste better too.

Paul Casey, Lee Westwood, David Howell and Graeme McDowell had hopes of figuring high on the leaderboard after flying starts, but all four finished with 68s.

The five-strong group on four under, meanwhile, included Australian John Senden.

A week ago Senden was seventh reserve for the event and it was only on arriving from Texas on Tuesday that Jeev Milkha Singh's side muscle injury let him in.

As for Colin Montgomerie and Sandy Lyle, still hitting the headlines after Lyle reignited the row over his fellow Scot's "wrong drop" in Indonesia four years ago, they shot 75 and 71 respectively.