At press time, Greg Norman sits atop the leaderboard at Birkdale.

I’m a Phil Mickelson fan, but when I saw his British Open odds improve to 12-1 just before things got underway at Royal Birkdale, I was perplexed. This just isn’t his kind of event – and we saw proof of that in Thursday’s opening round when Lefty shot a 79 to sit 10 strokes off the pace. His new odds? 80-1. Worse, former second favorite Ernie Els finished with an 80 and is now 100-1.

Timing is everything. The weather in the morning was brutal, but then the rain tapered off, making life much easier for those who teed off later in the day. That group includes Sergio Garcia, who holds steady as the 8-1 favorite after shooting a 72.

The leaders at a 1-under 69 are Rocco Mediate (20-1), Robert Allenby (14-1) and Graeme McDowell (10-1). Adam Scott is the new second favorite behind Garcia at 9-1 after firing a 70, matching fellow Aussie Greg Norman (66-1).

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