British Open 2013: Updated Reaction to End-of-Day 1 Leaderboard

The 2013 British Open is shaping up to be a good one, folks. 

Day 1 of The Open at Muirfield was full of interesting twists as the players attempted to navigate a course that played very fast throughout the day. 

Some players like Zach Johnson were able to tame the course on the first day. The 37-year-old got off to a terrific start on Thursday, shooting a 66 to get five-under-par. Others didn't have the same luck. Here's a look at how the leaderboard shook out after the first day.

Johnson was obviously one of the bigger stories on the day. As Jason Sobel of the Golf Channel points out, we shouldn't be all that surprised that he's crushing it early on at Muirfield—he nearly won the John Deere Classic twice.

Now that it appears he has a great feel for the green it's safe to assume he's going to be a name to watch for the rest of the major. Per Justin Ray of ESPN, Johnson's hot start with the putter was the key to his success.

Even with the great round behind him, Johnson acknowledged that the course conditions are not ideal, according to the PGA Tour's Twitter:

 Of course Johnson wasn't the only player in the spotlight. Anytime Tiger Woods tees off at a major he's bound to draw attention. After going two-under-par in the first round, he's sure to continue to be a focus. He's just three shots behind Johnson heading into Day 2. 

One reason for his success was the distance he was getting thanks to the fast fairways. As he told ESPN via GolfWorld he hit a six-iron 285 yards at one point. 

 Another reason for his success was that he was reading the greens very well. He was one of just three golfers to have 10 one-putts according to the Golf Channel's Tiger Tracker.

 Rory McIlroy also made waves on the first day. But for all the wrong reasons. His woes at major tournaments continued at Muirfield as he ended up at T-134 on the leaderboard as he went eight-over-par. 

As John Buccigross of ESPN notes, McIlroy is now 24-over-par in majors this year. 

Not the kind of performance you'd expect from the No. 2 player in the world. 

Other notables in Day 1 included Jordan Spieth, the 19-year-old phenom who picked up his first PGA victory at the John Deere Classic last week. He finished at two-under-par on the day and greatly increased his odds of winning the whole thing, per Kyle Porter of CBS Sports. 

After Day 1's action it wouldn't be surprising to see the rising star pull it off. It's still a wide open field as we prepare for Day 2.