CARNOUSTIE (Scotland), July 19: Tiger Woods moved straight into the thick of the battle towards the top of the leaderboard when he launched his challenge for a third British Open title running on Thursday.

The world number one was satisfied with an opening two-under-par 69 in damp, bone-numbing conditions which left him two shots adrift of early pacesetter Paul McGinley of Ireland.

Michael Campbell, the former US Open champion from New Zealand, and Austrian Markus Brier were a stroke behind McGinley at three under.

As ever, though, most eyes were on Woods. He told reporters it was an “ideal” start to his bid to become the first man since Peter Thomson 51 years ago to collect three consecutive Open wins.

Woods, 31, just about got the better of a sodden Carnoustie with three birdies and an eagle three at the 578-yard sixth.

A finely judged approach after a drive which carried over 310 yards left him a 12-foot putt which he guided into the centre of the sixth hole.

Woods, tied second at the US Masters and US Open this year, had opened his birdie account at the third with an eight-footer and he rounded off his outward half by converting another from a yard further away.

His only blemish before that was a bogey at the short eighth but he got a slice of luck at the 10th after receiving a free drop in the rough as his ball lay by television cables.

Onlookers said the much-improved lie enabled Woods to make his par four but successive dropped shots at the 12th and 13th threatened to take away all his momentum as he fell back to one under.

Typically, he had some magic up his sleeve in the form of an extraordinary, tramlining 100-foot putt which gave him his final birdie at the short 16th.

Brier, 39, overcame a double-bogey six at the fifth to pick up six birdies in his 68.

A group of three were in the clubhouse at two under, Woods, South Korean KJ Choi and US Ryder Cup player Stewart Cink.

There were plenty of casualties, though, on a course reckoned to be the toughest on the Open rota. Three-times winner Nick Faldo stumbled to an eight-over 79 alongside former US.

PGA champion Davis Love III.

Todd Hamilton, who won this title three years ago, slumped to an 81.

Scores (first round):

67 - Paul McGinley (IRL); 68 - Michael Campbell (NZL); 69 - KJ Choi (KOR), Tiger Woods (USA), Stewart Cink (USA)

70 - Gregory Bourdy (FRA), Rod Pampling (AUS), Thomas Bjorn (DEN), Retief Goosen (RSA), Carl Pettersson (SWE), JJ Henry (USA)

71 - Steve Stricker (USA), Trevor Immelman (RSA), Mike Weir (CAN), Nick O'Hern (AUS)

72 - David Howell (ENG), John Rollins (USA), Darren Clarke (NIR), Paul Casey (ENG), Hideto Tanihara (JPN), Scott Verplank (USA), John Senden (AUS)

73 - Ross Bain (SCO), Adam Scott (AUS), Paul Lawrie (SCO), Ian Poulter (ENG), Colin Montgomerie (SCO), Tom Lehman (USA)

74 - Adilson Da Silva (BRA), Matt Kuchar (USA), Peter Fowler (AUS), Stuart Appleby (AUS), Raphael Jacquelin (FRA), Chris DiMarco (USA), Justin Leonard (USA), Tomohiro Kondo (JPN)

75 - Kevin Stadler (USA), John Bickerton (ENG), Geoff Ogilvy (AUS), Justin Rose (ENG), Toshi Izawa (JPN)

76 - Richard Sterne (RSA), Drew Weaver (USA -a), David Shacklady (ENG)

77 - Joe Durant (USA), Anthony Wall (ENG), Jeev Milkha Singh (IND)

78 - Graeme Storm (ENG), Michael Putnam (USA)

79 - David Higgins (IRL), David Coupland (ENG -a), Scott Drummond (SCO), Nick Faldo (ENG), Davis Love (USA)

80 - Oliver Wilson (ENG)

81 - Ben Bunny (AUS), Todd Hamilton (USA), Stephen Ames (CAN)

82 - Vaughn Taylor (USA), Duffy Waldorf (USA).—Reuters