Senior British Open 2017: Bernhard Langer Tops Leaderboard After Thursday

Two-time Senior British Open champion Bernhard Langer sits one shot clear at the summit of the 2017 tournament's leaderboard after ending Thursday's first round with a score of 69, two strokes under par.

Behind the German are the duo of Carl Mason and Mauricio Molina, who each carded scores of 70 at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club in south Wales.

British favourite and golf personality Colin Montgomerie is also in contention for the senior crown as he ended the first round on par, while three-time winner Tom Watson is one of nine players sat one over par.

Just one day into the competition and Porthcawl is already proving to be a tough course to navigate, even for the most experienced of minds, and the competition is sure to heat up over the next three days.

Here's how the top end of the leaderboard looked following the first day of action at Royal Porthcawl:

Senior British Open Top 10 (Day 1):

• 1. Bernhard Langer (-2)
• T2= Carl Mason (-1)
• T2= Mauricio Molina (-1)
• T4=Peter Fowler (Par)
• T4= Jean-Francois Remesy (Par)
• T4= Chris Williams (Par)
• T4= Colin Montgomerie (Par)
• T4= Billy Andrade (Par)
• T4= Billy Mayfair (Par)
• T4= Peter Lonard (Par)

Recap

Langer's first-round sojourn to the summit of the Senior Open leaderboard was far from a straightforward one, and one might not have supposed a round of two-under would comprise of only 10 pars.

Twice a champion in this tournament, the 59-year-old's day started in despair with a bogey on the first, but four birdies across the remainder of the front nine—with no more mistakes to account for—quickly turned his mood around.

As well as winning this competition twice, the nine-time senior major winner has finished as runner-up at the Senior British Open, in 2013 and 2015, showing he's got quite the pedigree coming to Porthcawl, per the European Senior Tour:

For all his fine work early on, bogeys on the 11th and 17th had Langer level with the likes of Mason and Molina coming on to the 18th, but a timely save on the last hole meant he regained that vital one-shot lead at the brink.

It was only three years ago the German won this tournament by a gargantuan 13 strokes—at Royal Porthcawl no less—but he told the official Senior European Tour website prior to Thursday's round this year would be different:

“I can't predict the winning score. Because I haven't actually played the course the way it is now. The wind is about 20 to 25 miles per hour and I think the forecast is for that kind of wind throughout the week.

“I think the score will be over par, but I've been wrong before. I'm not a good forecaster. I'm a better golfer.”

The prediction is so far proving accurate, and Argentinian Molina held a one-shot lead earlier in the day, while Montgomerie was also in contention for the top spots and remarked upon the tough conditions on Wales' south coast, via BBC Wales Sport:

American favourite John Daly was another famous face who carded a respectable one-over par to tie for 13th after the first round, all the more impressive considering the distraction his trousers posed:

One of those level with the former bad boy of the golf circuit is Watson, who will be hoping to add a fourth Senior British Open crown to his trophy cabinet on the 10-year anniversary of his third win.

English great Nick Faldo, 60, didn't fare quite as well and is more than 100 places off the lead heading into Friday's action, but there may be time enough for the three-time British Open champion to pull back from a disappointing eight-over.