McDowell, Allenby and Mediate head the pack

Once the weather had cleared on the first day of the 2008 Open Championship, three golfers were left at the top of the leaderboard, while dozens more had effectively played themselves out of contention for the Claret Jug.

The day ended with Robert Allenby, Rocco Mediate and Graeme McDowell tied for first place.

The 1st round leaderboard picture was a fairly accurate reflection of the form players in golf at the moment, with Mediate a deserved leader after running Tiger Woods close at the 2008 US Open, while Graeme McDowell is deserving of a share of the Open Championship 1st round lead after winning the 2008 Scottish Open last week.

The second tier of the leaderboard makes for interesting reading, with Greg Norman the standout figure in second place. The veteran scored par under difficult conditions after a several week absence from golf. Norman is joined in second place by Australia's top player at the event – Adam Scott.

With conditions expected to worsen on the second day of the 2008 US Open, it remains to be seen whether any of the tournament leaders will hold onto their tenuous grips on first place. Form players who have not yet played themselves out of contention for the Claret Jug include Sergio Garcia on 2+, Anthony Kim on 2+ and Jim Furyk on 1+.

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