Jason Blue, a 16-year-old attending his first British Open, gets a surprise souvenir after being struck by a ball hit by Rory McIlroy on the 16th hole of Thursday's opening round at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. The souvenir? Not the ball that banged his noggin, but instead ...

... a signed glove from McIlroy that read "Sorry" with a smiley face.
 

Tiger Woods chips a ball onto the fifth green at Royal Lytham & St Annes. He parred the hole, then followed with two birdies en route to a 3-under 67 in the first round of the British Open.

Tiger Woods plays out of the rough on the 15th hole.
 

Adam Scott, with ex-Tiger Woods caddie Steve Williams at his side, was on fire early on at Royal Lytham & St Annes and tied the course record with a 64 for the early lead.

Steve Stricker has the blinders on in shooting a 3-under 67 to tie for sixth.
 

Geoff Ogilvy has to keep his sense of humor after opening with a 72.

Brandt Snedeker reacts after missing a birdie putt on the 18th green. He still finished with a 66.
 

Phil Mickelson plays out of a bunker on the fifth hole en route to a 73 that he lambasted afterwards.
 

Japanese phenom Ryo Ishikawa takes aim on the first hole at Royal Lytham & St Annes in the first round of the British Open. Ishikawa shot a 74.

Top-ranked Luke Donald finds one of Royal Lytham's many bunkers on the seventh hole.
 

Jeev Milkha Singh, who won the Scottish Open last weekend, started off strong, but a double bogey on No. 13 put him back at even par, where he finished his rollercoaster round.

Bubba Watson finds his way with a first-round 67.
 

Ross Fisher jumps up to see the pin position on the 17th hole. He shot a 72.
 

Spectators line up to watch play from a stand at Royal Lytham & St Annes golf club early in the first round of the British Open.

Rory McIlroy, still trying to find his groove this season, gets off to a good start in Round 1.
 

2011 champ Darren Clarke and Ernie Els share a laugh on the first fairway before the going gets really tough at Royal Lytham & St Annes during the first round of the British Open. Els handled it well, with a 3-under 67, while Clarke's season-long struggles continued with a 76.

Nick Watney chips onto the first green at Royal Lytham & St Annes in the first round of the British Open. He shot a 71.

It didn't take John Daly long to find trouble in the first round of the British Open, getting stuck in the rough on the second hole. He shot a 72.

England's Barry Lane got the 141st Open Championship started early Thursday, the first player to tee off at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in England. He would bogey the hole, part of a trio that ran the gamut on Hole 1: a birdie (James Driscoll), par (Garth Mulroy) and Lane's bogey. Lane finished with a 73.

The very early leader during Thursday's Round 1 was Kodai Ichihara of Japan, who birdied Hole 2 to stand as the only golfer under par. But a bogey on No. 4 brought him back to even — and back to the field — and he blew up from there on, finishing with a 77.

Peter Dawson, the Chief Executive of the Royal and Ancient, looks on as the first competitors tee off to start the Open. Poor weather has dogged the course throughout the week, and Dawson took to the course prepared for rain.