The Open odd couple: DeChambeau and Daly pairing proves inspired

It is doubtful this 150th Open could have thrown up bigger beasts of such towering cultural polarity as Bryson James Aldrich DeChambeau and Long John Daly. Yet, after their first round together, they ended day one like old friends. If they never meet again, they will cherish this memory at least.

Asking the 28-year-old cerebral timebomb from California and the bewhiskered good old boy from Arkansas to gambol alongside each other over the rolling landscape of the Old Course – in company with the altogether uncontroversial Cameron Tringale – turned out to be inspired match-making.

They were supposed to be the warm-up act; for a short while, they threatened to steal the show. DeChambeau – who, in 1991, was two years old when Daly won the first of his two majors – finished three under and within touching distance of the leaders; Daly, hobbling under the weight of his faltering 56-year-old legs, did exceptionally well to card 73 and will do even better to finish the 7,300-yard march on Friday without collapsing into the arms of his caddy, his fast-growing son, Little John Daly.

“It was fun just to see the power he has,” an exhausted Daly said of DeChambeau. “He’s hitting his four-iron 280, 290 off the tee. On 15, he hit seven-iron off the tee, which is amazing. It’s a blast to watch.”

The chemistry was already in place. “We’ve spoken a lot at majors. I play the PGA and this one. I’ve seen him at a few PGA Tour events over the years. Great kid.”

As DeChambeau saw it: “You’ve got to strategise your way around this course and it’s not simple by any means. I could use my driver but I wouldn’t be able to control my spin and it would go in the fescue. This is about winning a major championship. There’s no way to bomb and gouge out