Ben Croucher
BBC Sport journalist at Royal Birkdale

Image source, Getty Images

Crispy. Burnt. Baked. As well as describing my attempt to cook dinner last night, it also sums up the Birkdale course.

England’s green and pleasant land is now a sea of yellow and light orange hues, with the fortnight of hot, dry weather slow cooking the Southport soil.

It means 6 irons can clear 250 yards. Drives can easily roll 400.

Links golf just got extra linksy.

Interesting group just walking off the first tee with an Argentinian daring to show his face at Royal Birkdale today after last night's World Cup semi-final win.

Latin America Amateur Championship winner Mateo Pulcini gets a nice and polite round of applause on the first tee though, which is good to see.

And he'll have plenty to talk about with Spain's Angel Ayora ahead of Sunday's World Cup final - Frenchman Victor Perez will be keeping his head down in this one.

Another nice touch from Ayora is having the great Seve Ballesteros' name on his shirt as he wears outfits inspired by the great man - he's managed by Seve's son Javier.

A 19-year-old Seve really announced himself to the golfing world right here at Birkdale in 1976 - 50 years ago this year.

Ben Croucher
BBC Sport journalist at Royal Birkdale

By 3pm, it'll be the ice creams and water refill stations that everyone will be clamouring for, but first coffee.

This one is wafting arabica aromas right onto the driving range.

Just as well it didn't go to extra time last night or that queue might be a lot bigger.

Also, how early is too early for loaded fries? Asking for a friend.

Image source, Getty Images

Tough start for England's Matthew Jordan, a member just around the coast at Royal Liverpool.

He hit the opening tee shot over there on the Wirral three years ago, but is dead last in the field early on here after a triple bogey on the sixth puts him at six over.

He's got two top-10 finishes on his Open resume. It'll be some going from here if he makes the weekend.

Back-to-back birdies for Thomas Detry as he joins Robert MacIntyre at the top of the leaderboard on two under.

That's some response from the Belgian who rescued par from a ditch a few holes ago, and has now found his groove.

Alex Fitzpatrick evens up his card with a birdie at the fourth, then takes aim at the short par-four fifth with the driver - but finds one of the manhy bunkers guarding the green.

Robert MacIntyre and Rickie Fowler both lay-up here, with the American winning the wedge contest by knocking it closer than the Scotsman.

There's a ton of strategy to be used this week with the short par fours in particular having all kinds of different permutations depending on the wind. It's a proper links test this week.

Ben Croucher
BBC Sport journalist at Royal Birkdale

Image source, BBC Sport

There was a time in his beefed-up years that Bryson DeChambeau was a very polarising figure in the game.

He’s mellowed somewhat now, and aided by a hugely successful YouTube channel, he’s a real hit with younger spectators.

On Monday, I saw him take care to sign as many autographs as possible and pose for photos with the waiting masses by the 18th.

He gives the fans what they want. But considering he’s missed the cut in every major this year, will those here at the weekend even see him?

Image source, Getty Images

Joe Dean has just made a birdie on the fourth - and what a story this guy has....

For the first time ever the R&A held a Last Chance Qualifier event on Monday this week where 12 players who came close to qualifying played 18 holes for one remaining place in the field.

Sheffield's Dean, who has worked as a delivery driver when his golf wasn't going too well, managed to win, but was then busy scrambling around looking for somewhere to stay this week.

And just to add to his story, he's due to get married next week, and his fiance Emily is also his caddie!

"A week off would have made the wedding a bit easier but The Open is a good excuse to liven things up a little bit," he smiled.

No prizes for guessing what any prize money he makes this week will be spent on.

Read more on Joe Dean's remarkable story

This one made me chuckle.

Image source, Getty Images

The modern Open Championship has all sorts of modern features, but with such history it's also one of the last bastions of tradition that will hopefully remain.

Crowds are fair, no "mashed potato" shouts on every shot, and there's iconic features everywhere you look - the Claret Jug and those yellow screboards are just glorious when they come into view.

Image source, Getty Images

Then there's Royal Birkdale's clubhouse which is so famous around the golfing world. There's room for modern golf of course, stadium holes and party holes at tournaments, loud music and these new simulator leagues, but it's also important that we keep some things from days gone by.

The Open feels like coming home to many golf fans - this wonderful sport played just as it should be.

Image source, Getty Images

Jonathan Jurejko
BBC Sport golf reporter at Royal Birkdale

Good morning golf fans! Straight ahead to a sporting pick-me-up? I’ll take a one-way ticket please.

The Open Championship is ready to rev up over the next four days and, as always, will take centre stage.

Well, nothing else happening in the sporting world is there?!

Fans are flocking to Birkdale from all directions, with plenty trudging along my route through the quaint, leafy streets from Southport.

One gang of fellas troop along armed with keep-cups of coffee. They might have been cans of lager if England had won last night…

Image source, Getty Images

Two out of two for Robert MacIntyre after a stunning second shot on the second hole landed inside two feet - even I could knock that in!

He starts with two birdies in two holes to grab the early Open lead - he may hang around there for a while too.

Alex Fitzpatrick makes bogey on the second though to drop to one over.

Image source, Getty Images

Matthew Baldwin gets his first birdie of the day on his home course to go to one under after a very nice start to the day.

One under through five.

Obviously Robert MacIntyre is a left-handed player...

And here's a not exactly extensive list of lefties that have won The Open.

• 1963 - Bob Charles (Royal Lytham & St Annes)
• 2013 - Phil Mickelson (Muirfield)
• 2023 - Brian Harman (Royal Liverpool)

Two in the past 15 years though at least.

A bonus birdie for Robert MacIntyre at the first as he manages to roll in a huge putt from 45 feet away for his three to make the perfect start to his Open challenge.

The Scotsman has got a great links game with three top 10s in the Open, including a seventh last year, and he's won the Scottish Open too.

His putting would be the weakness in his game but the greens are a lot slower in the Open Championship than those on the PGA Tour - and going on that first hole they suit him down to the ground!

After the disappointing scenes in Atlanta for England's footballers last night, plenty of us are going to need a bit of cheering up this morning - or at least something different to groan about!

So we'd like you to suggest some anthems that would work well on the golf course.

• Rai of Light by Madonna?
• Burns Baby Burns?
• Anything by Scheff Leppard?

I'm sure you can do a lot better than us - get your suggestions in.