No luck for Norman in 2009

Greg Norman looks unlikely to make the cut at the 2009 British Open after failing to come to terms with the Turnberry links during the first round of the tournament on Thursday.

Norman made headlines at the 2008 British Open after leading the tournament going into the third round, despite terrible conditions and not having won a major championship in over a decade. While the Australian ultimately had to settle for 3rd place, his battle against the elements won him a legion of new fans.

Perfect conditions at Turnberry appeared to play havoc with Norman’s driving game as he finished the day with his score on 7 over par.

"Conditions are the easiest I've seen it here but the pin positions are really tough to get at," the Australian told reporters after his round. "It's going to be the most congested leaderboard ever at an Open championship in my opinion."

While Norman was out of sorts, two other living legends came to the fore on Thursday. Tom Watson, who last won a major in the early 80s, topped the leaderboard for much of the day, while 1989 British Open winner, Mark Calcavecchia, finished the day on 3 under – 3 shots off the lead held by Miguel Angel Jiminez.