British Open 2012: 5 Top Players Who Won't Rebound from Poor Day 1 Scores

For many prominent golfers, Round 1 of the 2012 British Open was a walk in the park for the beginning of a major tournament.

For others, the round was struck with gloom and frustration on a day where the typically tough links of Royal Lytham could have been had.

Mother Nature figures to play a much more prominent role than it did Thursday for the remainder of the Open Championship.

Some talented upstarts and savvy veterans will benefit from the shift in climate and bounce back, but others won't.

Here are five top players who will not rebound from disappointing opening rounds.

Lee Westwood

Two birdies kicked off the first round for Westwood, who is still looking to capture that elusive first major title.

Unfortunately, that work was undone with a double bogey on the third hole.

Westwood still managed to make the turn at one-under, but bogeyed four of the last six holes to shoot a three over par 73.

The disappointment from the U.S. Open final round still has to be weighing on Westwood, as well as the expectations to win the Claret Jug in his native England.

Coming into the Open Championship he only played at the Alstom Open de France on the European Tour and finished tied for 40th.

The state of Westwood's game doesn't seem to be steady based on the shaky conclusion he had to Round 1.

A lot of factors will be working against Westwood, and it's unlikely he'll face the prime scoring conditions of Thursday morning when he tees off tomorrow afternoon.

Sergio Garcia

Reputedly one of the best in the world tee to green, Garcia's struggles are typically associated with the putter.

That hasn't been the case this year as Garcia ranks 29th in total putting on the PGA Tour. His ball striking has been the problem, and that didn't change in the first round of the Open.

Garcia hit only 10 of 18 greens and eight out of 14 fairways; barely over half of each.

While plenty can still happen, if anyone who sits at two-over par will struggle to come back from an underwhelming performance it's Garcia.

The golfing prodigy has never quite figured out how to capitalize on opportunities in major championships.

Talent has never been a question, but the unfortunate, negative attitude Sergio usually projects has held him back from fulfilling his potential for greatness.

Until Garcia proves otherwise, this seems like another case of a self-fulfilling prophecy of self destruction.

Ryo Ishikawa

One of the best youngsters in the game today, Ishikawa came into the Open fresh off a tie for third in a Japan Golf Tour event.

Standing at one-under through 10 holes, the 20-year-old looked to be putting himself into contention on Day 1.

Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse at the course's arduous closing stretch consisting of six consecutive par fours.

Ishikawa bogeyed the final five holes to shoot a 74, putting him at plus four for the tournament.

A player of Ishikawa's ability could be liable to explode in any given round.

However, the combination of his inexperience and lack of success at majors will result in another short-lived effort at the British Open.

Marcel Siem

The 31-year-old German may not be a household name, but his star is rising rapidly on the European Tour.

Siem grabbed his second career win on the tour two weeks ago, and stands in 10th place in the Race to Dubai, which is essentially the equivalent of the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup.

As is the case with Sergio Garcia, Siem's mental game has perhaps hindered the results he's experienced early in his career.

Always a long hitter, Siem has had a career year in 2012 by just about every statistical measurement.

With all of that said, Siem struggled on Thursday at the Open.

If Siem is in a good frame of mind, he can get as hot as anyone. When he starts to lose momentum, he gets a little down on himself, and that seemed to be the case in Round 1.

Five bogeys on the back nine doomed Siem to a four-over round of 74. He hit just eight greens in regulation for the entire round.

10 shots off the lead seems too far back for anyone to recover from.

Considering where his ball-striking is at the moment, it would be a marvelous effort if Siem could even get inside the cut line.

Jim Furyk

The empty feeling of letting the U.S. Open slip through his fingers seems to be a thorn in Furyk's side lately.

Since that fateful Sunday at Olympic Club, Furyk finished T34 at the AT&T National and missed the cut at the Greenbrier Classic two weeks ago.

It wasn't an awful first round at the Open Championship for the aging American, but it wasn't spectacular either.

I would normally count Furyk among the favorites sitting at two-over par after the first round to grind his way back into contention entering the weekend.

Circumstances though have been a little different for Furyk.

As he expressed in an interview with the Golf Channel's Randall Mell, Furyk was irked—and motivated—by critics who doubted he had any game left after his poor play in 2011.

As much as that motivated him into contention at this year's second major, he must have been just as deflated about not closing the deal.

Furyk has had very uneven results at the Open throughout his career. He has five career top 10s, but also six missed cuts.

This year has all the makings of a seventh MC, but considering Furyk probably should have won more than one major by now, it would be nice to see him turn it around.