The Open Championship, St Andrews, 15-18 July
Coverage: Live on BBC TV, Red Button, BBC Sport website, with updates on BBC Radio 5 live Full coverage details

By Ged Scott BBC Sport at St Andrews

Oliver Wilson tees off on the second hole during his first round at the 2010 Open

Mansfield's Oliver Wilson cursed himself for an error at the opening hole despite recovering to fire his first sub-70 round at an Open.

Wilson, now based in Weybridge, shot a four-under 68 on the first day at St Andrews to sit comfortably in the pack.

But driving into the Swilcan Burn with his very first shot of the championship to run up a bogey played on his mind.

"It's the dumbest thing I've ever done in my life, the stupidest thing I could possibly do," he told BBC Sport.

"I was just being a bit greedy. I didn't want to hit my utility wood down there.

You never know what weather you're going to get here Oliver Wilson

"It was calm and I thought: 'It's been raining for a day and a half and it's got to be a bit softer'. It's 290 yards to the water on the left so I hit three wood.

"But I hooked it a little, got a hard flier, it bounced on and just tippled in. I still had a six-footer for par even then and missed it so it was what I deserved.

"I was not happy. Obviously I was in a great state of mind after that as I know it's so important here to make a score on the front nine.

"But I recovered well. And I'm relatively pleased.

"I didn't have that much control over my shots. I was hitting my drives left and right but I putted well. I feel good on the greens here."

Wilson, 29, playing in his fourth Open and looking to improve on last year's tie for 24th at Turnberry, atoned for his opening hole bogey with birdies at 3, 5, 6, 8 and 9 to go to the turn in 32.

After five straight pars, he gave himself the chance to finish strongly when he birdied at 15 to go five under.

But he put his drive in the brutal left rough to drop a shot at 17.

"It was a poor drive," he admitted. "In the conditions that we've played in this morning, I deserved to drop a shot.

"You never know what weather you're going to get here. But the important thing was that I shot a decent score in good conditions, as it's not doing what was forecast."

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