British Open Scores 2013: Day 1 Real-Time Updates for All Leaders

The 2013 British Open is off to an eventful start, and Zach Johnson holds the clubhouse lead after a five-under round of 66.

Spanish compatriots Rafael Cabrera-Bello and Miguel Angel Jimenez are surprise names near the top early on, having posted a four-under and three-under respectively. Mark O'Meara is even at four under through 12 holes.

Also in with rounds of 68 are star Americans Dustin Johnson and Brandt Snedeker, and just one shot further back after 18 holes are Phil Mickelson and 2004 Open champion Todd Hamilton.

Scoring conditions are relatively favorable at Gullane, Scotland's Muirfield Golf Links, though the clear forecast has the ball running a lot, and it's very dry. The leader had something to say about that after his spectacular round, per PGA Tour on Twitter:

Several prominent players are struggling. Even the three top-ranked golfers on the planet are struggling to various degrees.

World No. 2 Rory McIlroy was lost, hitting only five of 14 fairways en route to a horrific round of 79, which puts him in grave danger of missing the cut. Perhaps the capitalization of "MC" is a sign:

Reigning U.S. Open champion Justin Rose didn't birdie until the par-five 17th hole and posted a four-over for the day.

Tiger Woods had a disastrous start at the first:

The 14-time major champion took a provisional after hitting his tee shot way left off the difficult par-four opening hole but still managed bogey.

Those are just some of the developments to monitor, so let's take a closer look at the early leaders and how they managed to navigate this difficult venue successfully.

Note: For real-time updates on Round 1 scores, visit TheOpen.com.

*Statistics are courtesy of PGATour.com and EuropeanTour.com. British Open information was obtained from the official website. Tournament history can be located at the Official World Golf Ranking.

Zach Johnson (66, -5)

The loss last week in a playoff to 19-year-old prodigy Jordan Spieth at the John Deere Classic doesn't have Johnson down at all. If anything, it has kickstarted the veteran in the year's third major.

Johnson had only one top 10 ahead of the aforementioned runner-up finish, but the momentum generated from that positive result has been a huge part of his surge to the top of the Open leaderboard.

After the round, he told ESPN's Tom Rinaldi on the telecast that he generally likes playing the week before a major. That's in contrast to others who arrive early at the venue to get every detail of their game plans down.

Such a strategy is paying huge dividends for Johnson thus far. He needed only 26 putts on the day and was spurred on early by a left-to-right snake of a putt for eagle at the par-five No. 5.

With his precision off the tee, solid iron play and a currently hot flatstick, Johnson has all the tools to remain a contender for the rest of the Open Championship.

Rafael Cabrera-Bello (67, -4)

A two-time winner on the European Tour, the 29-year-old birdied three of his first five holes on Thursday. Unlike many players in the morning wave, he played the back nine aggressively—and quite well.

Hitting it in the rough is typically asking for trouble at Muirfield, but somehow Cabrera-Bello avoided suffering the consequences of hitting only six fairways in regulation.

In that situation, putting well is a must, which is precisely why Cabrera-Bello was able to score so well. Even though he found the rough frequently, he hit 13 of 18 greens in regulation too.

Cabrera-Bello missed the cut at the Scottish Open last week and finished tied for 29th in his start before that. He would qualify as an unexpected early contender, but it may not keep up if he finds the rough with this kind of regularity.

Miguel Angel Jimenez (68, -3)

Few players are more likeable than Jimenez, who has never quite gotten it done at the majors but has had several close calls in his illustrious career.

Three consecutive birdies got the 46-year-old off to a wonderful start, and he added another birdie at the fifth to get to four under. Another birdie at No. 9 allowed Jimenez to go out in 31.

Despite dropping a couple of shots down the stretch, it was still a solid display from the man nicknamed "The Mechanic." Jimenez doesn't have the prettiest swing and hit just 11 greens, but he flashed a stellar short game and stayed in the thick of things.

His post-round interview generated some buzz in the Twittersphere, which is a testament to his likability:

Golf Channel's Jason Sobel even compared him to "The Most Interesting Man in the World."

All the jokes about Jimenez aside, he is letting his play do some serious talking thus far. If he can be slightly more precise on his approaches, Jimenez could be holding the Claret Jug on Sunday.

Dustin Johnson (68, -3)

After going out in 32, Johnson hit a rough patch on the back side in bogeying three of his first seven holes in the second set. However, he utilized his superior power to his advantage in making eagle at the par-five 17th hole.

Johnson's length is unique in that he's able to hit it incredibly far while keeping his ball flight low. It was a generally solid ball-striking day, as DJ hit 14-of-18 greens and nine of the 14 fairways.

The man himself was pleased with his day at the office:

Putting has been a big improvement for Johnson, who has always had the long game to contend in any tournament.

However, he ranks 178th on the PGA Tour in scrambling this season, so he needs to keep hitting greens to contend.

Brandt Snedeker (68, -3)

Things could have really come unraveled for Snedeker after a double bogey at No. 6 and a bogey at No. 7 deflated his early two-under total.

Snedeker bounced back, though, playing magnificently on the back nine with three birdies and zero bogeys en route to a 68.

Kelly Tilghman of Golf Channel pointed out an interesting fact about Snedeker's age and how it pertains to the previous major champions of 2013:

In that context, perhaps it's Snedeker's time to have his own major breakthrough. He finished tied for third at Royal Lytham and St. Annes last year, and he played well at the Masters this April. As long as he continues knocking on the door, Snedeker should eventually capture some major hardware.

With how well Snedeker putts it and how he's currently hitting it, the 32-year-old can't be discounted—especially when recent history has 32 as some sort of magic number.

Phil Mickelson (69, -2)

As solidly as Mickelson played, the round could have been even better. Lefty stood in the middle of the fairway, going for the par-five 17th green in two.

Unfortunately, he put his approach in the bunker and missed out on an easy birdie. He then striped his approach to the closing hole, only to three-putt after being fooled by the speed on his birdie try.

That's nitpicking, though. Overall, Mickelson played a truly fine round without many mistakes.

Like Zach Johnson, Mickelson loves to play the week before a major, and he's clearly still feeling it after defeating Branden Grace in a playoff to win the Scottish Open.

Links golf should have rewarded the imaginative short game and shot-making ability of Mickelson more throughout his career. Now that he's adjusted his game, it appears a Claret Jug is within reach for the World Golf Hall of Famer.