British Open Results 2012: Analyzing Most Shocking Thursday Performances

With one round of the 141st Open Championship complete, we have already witnessed some shocking performances at Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club.

Some unheralded players are off to promising starts. Meanwhile, there are past winners and pre-tournament favorites in danger of missing the cut.

Calm weather conditions generally resulted in low scores across the leaderboard. In total, 53 golfers shot even par or better on the par-70 course.

Local forecasts anticipate more of the same this weekend, but let's not turn our attention to the future just yet.

Surprising individual efforts highlighted a thrilling Thursday at the British Open.

Phil Mickelson: 73 (+3)

Phil Mickelson's stroke betrayed him during a less-than-stellar opening round. Because his mechanics weren't sound, numerous shots landed in strange places.

He could be seen working with swing coach Butch Harmon following his par putt on the 18th green. Hopefully, they corrected the glitch because Lefty is scheduled to golf again at 9:42 a.m.

Nobody could have foreseen a bad round considering how well he contended at the Scottish Open on July 12-15.

His double bogey on the seventh hole was definitely a low point. Mickelson's chances kept waning when he failed to save par on the eighth and ninth.

ESPNNewYork.com's Ian O'Connor insists that there is a bright side to his unimpressive play.

Round 1 Scorecard

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
Par	3	4	4	4	3	4	5	4	3	4	5	3	4	4	4	4	4	4
	3	3	5	3	3	4	7	5	4	3	5	4	4	4	4	4	4	4

Toshinori Muto: 67 (-3)

Toshinori Muto isn't a top-100 player, nor is he somebody you would recognize from past PGA tournaments.

Nonetheless, this mystery man from the Japan Golf Tour is tied with Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods (among others).

The key to Muto's success was his flawless sand save percentage. He set himself up for makeable putts, particularly on the course's par fives (both of which he birdied).

Muto is small in stature, and he can't cover great distances with his driver. However, that limitation won't eliminate him from contention. 

He posted a great score despite teeing off in the afternoon when conditions became increasingly difficult.

Round One Scorecard

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
Par	3	4	4	4	3	4	5	4	3	4	5	3	4	4	4	4	4	4
	2	4	4	4	2	5	4	4	2	4	4	3	4	5	4	4	4	4

Lee Westwood: 73 (+3)

Englishman Lee Westwood—No. 3 in the world rankings—will not be competing this weekend if his mediocre performance continues.

He was one of very few golfers who bogeyed the 16th hole.

Westwood hit only 10 of 18 greens in regulation (55.6 percent). He was far more efficient in previous 2012 events (71.6 percent).

"I don't feel in control of the ball at the moment," he admitted after the round.

Perhaps the pressure of playing close to home affects him. Realize that he hasn't missed a cut in a professional event since July 2011 at the last Open Championship.

Round 1 Scorecard

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
Par	3	4	4	4	3	4	5	4	3	4	5	3	4	4	4	4	4	4
	2	3	6	4	3	5	4	4	2	4	5	3	5	5	4	5	5	4

Justin Rose: 74 (+4)

By contrast, Justin Rose's round turned ugly immediately.

He shot a five-over 39 on the front nine, and finished the day with only one birdie.

Like Lee Westwood, Rose didn't get to his putter quickly enough. Reaching greens in regulation is usually a strength of his, but that wasn't the case on Thursday.

Much more was expected of him today considering that he had scored 72 or better in eight of his previous 10 rounds at the British Open.

Round 1 Scorecard

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
Par	3	4	4	4	3	4	5	4	3	4	5	3	4	4	4	4	4	4
	4	4	5	4	3	5	6	5	3	4	5	3	3	4	4	4	4	4

Adam Scott: 64 (-6)

A dozen years into his pro career, Adam Scott has never won a major. However, he's in total control through Round 1.

Scott retired to the clubhouse with a six-under-par 64, but not before flirting with an all-time record.

A birdie on the 18th hole would have earned him a 62, and tied him with Johnny Miller (1973 U.S. Open) for the lowest single-round score in major championship history.

Live television coverage began at 4:30 a.m. ET. That coincided with his fourth tee shot, which he used to get in a groove.

Scott drove the ball solidly all morning, and heads into Friday with sole possession of first place.

Round 1 Scorecard

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
Par	3	4	4	4	3	4	5	4	3	4	5	3	4	4	4	4	4	4
	3	4	5	3	3	3	4	4	3	4	4	2	3	4	3	3	4	5

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