Scottie Scheffler plays his third on the par-five sixth with an element of safety in mind. No need for him to push at this early stage in the round. He chops out of the rough to around 30 feet and two-putts for par.

Chris Gotterup is on the green in three and rolls in a six-footer for a welcome first birdie of the day.

Rory McIlroy drops another shot on the fifth but then rather typically, finds the green in two on the par-five sixth and rolls in a 12-foot putt for a very welcome eagle. How he needed that.

Cam Young, ticks his scorecard over nicely with his second birdie of the day.

Viktor Hovland has a good look at a birdie to go back into the lead on his own, but he pushes his 14-foot attempt on the fourth green.

Par.

Scottie Scheffler has a good look at the par-five sixth green with his second shot from 248 yards but an uncharacteristic wayward from the world's best sees his ball leak out to the right.

He's green-high but in the rough. If he gets up and down from there though he'll be in the lead because...

Viktor Hovland reaches the par-four fourth in regulation and will have a 14-footer for birdie.

But Ryan Gerard's radar is still off. He misses the green right and short sides himself. It's a frightening chip out of the rough, over the corner of a bunker and he plays it superbly. A delicate parachute that lands softly in the fringe and leaves him a six-footer for par.

Ludvig Aberg pays the price for a wayward tee shot on the fourth and then flying the green.

First bogey of the day for the Swede, who is unable to hole out from 23 feet to save his par.

A treacherous putt for Scottie Scheffler on the fifth, the last dozen feet or so are all downhill, so it's no surprise to see his ball drift six feet past.

But that's a clutch putt coming back to keep him top of the tree alongside Viktor Hovland.

Viktor Hovland salvages a par on the third with an excellent six-footer after his 31-foot birdie putt raced six feet by.

Ryan Gerard nudges in for par from half that distance after a poor putt from 25 feet that didn't get anywhere near the hole.

Scottie Scheffler is wayward off the tee again. This time he's on the fifth and taking a trip to the rough.

His second is smashed out and reaches the front edge of the green but he's a long way from the hole

Unbelievable. Justin Rose steps off the eighth with a bogey (his second of the day) and then launches his tee shot direct at the flag on the par-three ninth and dunks it straight in for an ace.

The Englishman went early on the celebration, pointing to the sky and laughing as his ball was clattering into the cup.

Watch out Viktor, here's Scottie!

From being out of shape off the tee, Scheffler kept himself in the hole by making sure he found the green. And from 23 feet, he rolls in the birdie putt. Great start by the big Texan.

Chris Gotterup's miserable hole ends with a three-footer for double-bogey after he could only chip his par attempt to 10 feet and then raced the bogey putt past the hole.

After dropping to two over for today Tommy Fleetwood gets back to one under and eight under overall with a birdie charge before the turn.

Probably too little too late, but the defending champion is not going down without a fight.

Adam Scott and Ludvig Aberg both walk off the third green with a par, both had birdie putts.

Had the Swede just added a fraction more gas to his effort from 33 feet, it would've tumbled into the hole.

Viktor Hovland is first to hit a birdie putt on the par-three second. I write birdie putt. It's 80+ feet and about as outside a chance as you're going to see. But that's a terrific effort, leaving a couple of feet for par.

Ryan Gerard also two putts to settle his nerves.

Scottie Scheffler is firing at the fourth green from a fairway bunker and finds the heart of the putting surface.

Chris Gotterup from the other side of the fairway is marching down the hole - left rough, right rough... and his third skids through the green and into more thick stuff. Problems.

Rory McIlroy looks perplexed on the fourth green. He has a birdie putt from way downtown but his effort swings off to the right to leave a very missable attempt for par from around seven feet or so.

Can he knock this in? Nope. A second bogey inside four holes. He'll need snookers so to speak, surely to win from here.

Not great from Scottie and Chris either. Both players are tentative with their birdie putts and walk off with pars.

Our final pair are making a bit of a mess of the opening hole.

Ryan Gerard's ball is in the rough to the right of the green but he really fluffs his third, leaving it well short of the green and still in the rough. And his fourth is not much better. Eager to get on the dance floor he gives his par attempt too much juice and his ball races off the far side of the green and into the dell Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler were in a short while ago.

The bogey putt is decent. But that's a kick-in double bogey. Tough start.

Viktor Hovland has hit his third to 32 feet and races his par putt about four feet beyond the hole. Solid return putt but shot gone.

Onto the third for Scottie and Chris. New besties after their stroll up the second hole.

Gotterup is first to attack the pin with his second shot, firing a lob wedge to about a dozen feet.

That makes a big target for Scheffler to aim for and the American is not going to miss out on that and he lands his ball six feet from the pin. Big birdie chances coming up.

Viktor Hovland is not reaching the green with his second shot on the par-four first. So it's a lay-up.

Ryan Gerard, from 220 yards or so, lets fly with a wild swing that sees his ball head way out right, over the spectators and possibly hitting a cart path and bounding further away from its intended target. Nervy.