British Open 2012 Standings: Day 1 Highlights, Cut Line Projections and More

After one day, the 2012 Open Championship is, well, wide open. 

Australian Adam Scott entered the clubhouse early with a marvelous six-under 64, and while some of the later golfers approached that score, he remains the lone leader.

That doesn't mean his lead is safe by any means. Paul Lawrie, Zach Johnson and Nicolas Colsaerts trail him by one stroke.

Additionally, some of the biggest names in golf—Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Bubba Watson—sit just three strokes behind in a tie for sixth place.

So while we may be one round closer to determining the winner of the Claret Jug, the picture—much like the weather at Royal Lytham & St Annes on Thursday—isn't any less cloudy. 

Let's take a further look at Thursday's action and more. 

Day 1 Leaderboard

Position	Player	Score
1	Adam Scott	-6
T2	Paul Lawrie	-5
T2	Zach Johnson	-5
T2	Nicolas Colsaerts	-5
5	Brandt Snedeker	-4
T6	Ernie Els	-3
T6	Bubba Watson	-3
T6	Tiger Woods	-3
T6	Rory McIlroy	-3
T6	Graeme McDowell	-3

Note: There are three more players tied for sixth place at three-under. For a look at the complete leaderboard, check out pga.com.

Day 1 Highlights

Rory McIlroy had an interesting day. On No. 15, his drive got away from him and hit a spectator in the head. 

After signing a glove for the fan, Rory bounced back on the par-four No. 16, driving the green:

Tiger, of course, had a nice day as he shot a 67, but after a blazing start on his first seven holes, Woods let some things get away from him on the back nine:

Projected Cut

As it currently stands, the projected cut is +1. At the Open Championship, the top 70 players, including all ties, advance to play during the weekend, and right now, there are 25 players in a tie for 54th at +1.

The players at +2 are in a tie for 79th, meaning they would fail to make the cut. 

Notable players currently below the cut line include Sergio Garcia (+2), Phil Mickelson (+3) and Lee Westwood (+3). 

Day 2 Predictions

Lefty Makes the Cut, Westwood Doesn't

Phil Mickelson looked absolutely atrocious on Thursday, most notably off the tee. He couldn't hit a fairway to save his life, but that just makes his +3 all the more impressive. 

After going +4 on holes No. 7, 8 and 9, Lefty continued to struggle with his fairway accuracy, but his magnificence out of the rough and out of the bunkers helped him keep his round decent. If he loses the "two-glove" approach and finds some accuracy with his driver, Mickelson has the deadly middle game to get past the cut line. 

Westwood, on the other hand, even though he put together an impressive four birdies on the front nine, struggled with all aspects of his game, totaling one double-bogey on No. 3 and five more bogeys, including four on the back nine. 

What makes Westwood's day even worse is that he had an earlier tee time when the weather wasn't nearly as windy or rainy. He shot a +3, but the other players in his group were just fine. Bubba Watson shot a three-under, and Yoshinori Fujimoto shot a +1. 

With a later start on Friday, Westwood's struggles could very well continue. 

Who Will Lead After Day 2?

While it's tough to bet against Adam Scott, I absolutely loved the way Nicolas Colsaerts played. 

He led the field in greens in regulation, and if he continues to do that and starts hitting more putts, he'll likely put together at least another round of 65. 

Colsaerts, an up-and-coming 29-year-old, has really been making a strong push as of late. He finished 27th in the U.S. Open—just his third major ever—and I like him as the sleeper to lead after Day 2. 

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