The galleries were out early at the sun-kissed Renaissance Club near North Berwick, with a light breeze providing a welcome cooling factor as the thermometer sat on 19c at just after 8am.
Fans were in shorts and tee-shirts as forecasters said that the local temperature was expected to rise to 23c by 13.00 with only a 5 per cent chance of rain and a wind of 16kmh.
For Rory McIlroy, the world No 2, the heat was on from the tenth, his first, a testing, 464 yard hole, as the 37-year-old, Northern Irishman, found the rough with his second at the side of the green.
He chipped up but the ball landed on the edge of the putting surface and the former Genesis Scottish Open winner finished with an unwelcome one-over.
The pressure was on and McIlroy found the bunker from the tee at the second. His playing partner, American, Chris Gotterup, the defending champion, also found sand from the tee. They were only yards apart in the same bunker.
McIlroy found the front edge from sand but Gotterup was short of the putting surface. McIlroy’s put slipped 6ft past, but he holed the return. Good job as this would have been his first double-bogey in the 324 holes he has played at the East Lothian course.
Gotterup bogeyed the second but the third member of the group, Oban-born, Robert MacIntyre, bogeyed the first and failed with his birdie attempt at the second.
The early pace was set by English golfer, Marcus Armitage who was in the second group to tee-off at the first at 7.11am. He was sitting on minus three at the eighth, but others were close behind.
Glaswegian Scott Jamieson, given a late call-up for the tournament, was level with him on minus three at the seventh and they were joined by Bernd Wiesberger, third in the BMW International in Munich last week.
Within seconds, South African-born, Shaun Norris, Angel Hidalgo (Spain), Kurt Kitayama (USA) Michael Tom Kim (Korea) had joined them with the clock showing 9.25am, just under 90 minutes from the first to tee-off on the par 70 links course.
Nearly two hours later, and Wiesberger claimed a one-shot lead a the 13th on minus six with American Patrick Cantlay and Aussie golfer, Min Woo Lee, a shot back.
McIlroy suffered another blow with a bogey at the 18th, his ninth, finding the tough rough on the right hand side of the fairway, moving the ball nearer the green, chipping up and missing the put.
There was better news on the first, his tenth, with an eagle, the second of the day, sinking a 20-foot put which moved from left to right. The huge gallery appreciated that, and so did the Northern Irishman as it moved him to minus three. Gotterup sank a two-foot put for a birdie.
Seconds later, however, McIlroy drove into the rough at the 511-yard second, but, with 197 yards to go, he found the green from behind a tree. He was not the only member of the pairing to hit problems as MacIntyre found sand near the green. He got it out but with a distance to the cup and he missed the putt, the ball rolling several feet past. He sunk the return to slip back to minus one
PREPARING: Robert MacIntyre (Glencruitten GC) waits on the tenth tee. Picture Nigel Duncan
WAITING GAME: Rory McIlroy leans on his putter on the 18th at The Renaissance. Picture Nigel Duncan
