Having safely negotiated 72 holes without finding sand at St Andrew's last year, Tiger Woods appeared to have lost count of the number of bunkers he visited on the opening day at Lytham.

"I think I hit four," he mused after his opening-round 71.

"It was six," claimed one brave journalist in his post-round press call.

Whatever the figure, this was certainly a day at the beach compared to Tiger's normal standards.

But Lytham's sand traps, all 196 of them, are fearsome areas to tread.

With so much sand on the course, it seems inevitable that every player is going to come home with gritty feet.

Some of the traps look as if you would need climbing gear to negotiate them safely.

Others are so deep you can barely see to the bottom.

Tiger, for once, seemed genuinely worried, though he was happy to concede that he was going to have to face up to the problem at some stage.

If you are going to miss the green, he claimed, there are certain bunkers you are comfortable to finish up in.

His final visit to the sand - at the 18th - saw him play to within two feet of the pin from a greenside trap.

"That was a good shot," he said, with a satisfied pat on his own back.

"I had a good lie to play with as the ball rolled in there.

"It rolled on top of a rake mark and was sitting up, so at least I knew I could hit it."

Still in contention

Those kind of breaks could prove crucial, given that every one of the 156 starters is probably going to encounter sand at some stage this week.

Woods may be six shots off the pace, but few are kidding themselves they he is out of contention, least of all the Open champion himself.

"They are tough conditions out there, but I was able to grind my way round and put myself in position.

"I feel satisfied and I have not put myself out of the tournament.

"Sometimes, you need to gut it out and get around."