Padraig Harrington of Ireland plays out of a bunker on the seventh hole during the opening round of the British Open at Turnberry on Thursday. (AP)

Turnberry: Miguel Angel Jimenez rolled in a 66-foot birdie putt at the final hole Thursday for a six-under 64 to claim the opening-round lead at the British Open.

The ponytailed Spaniard known as “The Mechanic” birdied the final two holes in a bogey-free round that knocked Tom Watson and Ben Curtis out of the top spot on the leaderboard. At 45, Jimenez beat his previous low score in the Open by three strokes and just missed the major championship record.

The 59-year-old Watson, a five-time winner of the claret jug, held the lead most of the day, taking advantage of calm conditions at Turnberry to shoot a 65. Curtis, the surprise Open winner at Royal St George’s in 2003, matched Watson’s score in the afternoon.

Tiger Woods struggled to a 71.

On a day for going low, the world’s No. 1 player struggled, hitting one wayward shot after another — including a dunk in Wilson’s Burn, which led to the last of his four bogeys at No. 16.

When the round ended, Woods headed back to the range to work on his swing, which looked downright ugly with his right hand flying off the club. His first signs of frustrating emerged at No. 3, when he took an angry swipe and mumbled something under his breath. By the time the day was done, he had angrily tossed away his clubs several times. Woods’ score was especially disappointing given the conditions at Turnberry: partly sunny, no rain and barely the hint of a breeze off the Irish Sea.

Thirty-two years after his epic “Duel in the Sun” with Jack Nicklaus, Watson took advantage of pristine conditions at Turnberry on Thursday.

Nicklaus played his final British Open at St Andrews in 2005 and faded into retirement. But the guy who beat him at Turnberry in ’77 still has a few shots left.

Watson kept the ball in the fairway, rolled in five birdies and bailed himself out the few times he got into trouble, including a testy 6-footer at the final hole to preserve a bogey-free round. Six years ago, Curtis was virtually unknown except to family and friends when he won the claret jug on his first try. He missed the cut on his next three attempts, but has finished in the top 10 at the Open the last two years. Now, he’s confident of making a run at another Open championship.

Curtis overcame a pair of bogeys with an eagle at the par-5 seventh and birdies on four of his last six holes. He finished with a routine two-putt par at No. 18, walking off tied for the top spot.

Golf's oldest major keeps bringing out the best in the old-timers. Last year, Greg Norman was 53 when he held the 54-hole lead at Birkdale, only to fade on the final day.

With red numbers there for the taking, Stewart Cink, Steve Stricker, John Senden, Mathew Goggin and Camilo Villegas put up 66s.

To get old-timer’s theme rolling, 49-year-old Mark Calcavecchia, the 1989 Open champion, went out in the first group of the day with his wife on the bag and shot 67.

He was matched by 52-year-old Mark ’Meara and Vijai Singh, the kid of that group at 46. The players at 67 also included former Masters champion Mike Weir, two-time US Open winner Retief Goosen and Boo Weekley.

Gaganjeet Bhullar overcame a nervy start to his Major debut before matching Woods with an identical one-over 71.

Some of the young guns struggled, most notably 24-year-old Anthony Kim. The emotional leader of America’s winning Ryder Cup team took a nine at the second hole, hit another ball in the water and struggled with an upper-back injury, requiring treatment on the course.

Padraig Harrington is trying to become the first player since Peter Thomson in 1954-56 to win the Open three years in a row. The Irishman quietly went about his work, tapping in for a 69 that was an improvement on his shaky play this year while he attempts to make changes in his swing.

(AP)