Royal Birkdale provided a difficult test to the assembled field at the 27th Senior Open Championship. Although overnight rain had softened the course marginally, there was still a stern enough breeze to make scoring conditions difficult, and ensuring that this famous Lancashire links would maintain its reputation as one of the most challenging courses on the Open Championship Rota. Nine Opens have been held at Birkdale, with the last coming in 2008, but this week represents the first occasion that the Senior Open has been hosted at this fine course. Following the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart, and The Open Championship last week, this week’s Senior Open is the third leg of what is a magical month of links golf, with the Women’s British Open completing the swing next week at St Andrews. With many of the game’s greats on show, it was a lesser-known player, Gene Sauers, who leads the way at the end of the opening day after a 3-under 67.

Sauers, who turned 50 last August, won three times on the PGA Tour, and finished in a tie for second in the 1992 PGA Championship. Making birdie on three of his four closing holes on Thursday at Birkdale, Sauers continued his comeback from a life-threatening skin condition. In 2005, his career was abruptly halted for five years after being diagnosed with Stevens–Johnson syndrome. Thankfully, he has made a recovery and has made a solid start to his career on the Champions Tour. Sauers is 23rd on the Champions Tour money list and has made 11 cuts from 11 starts this year, with two-second place finishes and a third.

"I hit a lot of solid shots in the wind, so it didn't really mess with me too much," Sauers reflected. "I'm really pleased with the way I played. This is only my third British Open and it's a great privilege and honour to be here."

Sauers finds himself one shot ahead of an impressive quartet of players, which includes Bernhard Langer, at 2-under. The 2010 winner at Carnoustie would finish with three birdies in his closing four holes to move right into contention. Langer is alongside David Frost, Peter Senior and Frankie Minoza. All four of those players tied for second played in the morning wave on Thursday, which was indicative of the increasingly difficult scoring conditions in the afternoon.

In the end, only ten players broke par on a venue that brutally punished the leading players in the game at the Open Championship in 2008. Last year’s runner-up to Fred Couples, Gary Hallberg, is at 1-under, as is John Cook, Corey Pavin, Jeff Hart and Australia’s Peter Fowler.

Cook had played himself into the lead before finishing with a double bogey. The runner-up in 2008 at Royal Troon was, however, content with his opening day’s work: ''It was one of those terrible mistakes that you make and learn from. But I'm pleased to be under par in a major championship,'' he said.

Any score around par was to be cherished, and that is exactly where Sandy Lyle, the 1985 Open champion, finds himself after round one. The 55-year-old Scot is alongside a group that includes the likes of Rocco Mediate, and 1992 U.S. Open winner Tom Kite.

Royal Birkdale would stir memories for Mark O’Meara, who won the Open here in 1998, but the 56-year-old, who made the cut at Muirfield last week, but he ended up with an opening round of 74, tying him with playing partner Fred Couples. Colin Montgomerie, making his Senior Open debut, was the third member of that illustrious trio, and he battled to an opening 72, that places him in decent position. 63-year-old Tom Watson, who won his fifth and final Open Championship at Royal Birkdale 30 years ago, fought hard to compile a respectable 73.

Royal Birkdale has provided many of the great moments of Open Championship history, and this weekend one player will claim their own Birkdale moment by claiming the Senior Open Championship as the celebration of links golf continues.