Golf: Michael Hendry not discouraged by shaky start to British Open

Michael Hendry of New Zealand tees off during the first round of the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. Photo/Getty Images

Leading Kiwi Michael Hendry is not deterred by a bad day at the office that could have been worse and believes he can still make the cut at his first golfing Major.

After his opening round at the British Open, Hendry sits tied for 90th with a three-over-par 73 at Royal Birkdale, one shot ahead of fellow Kiwi Ryan Fox.

But the combination of injury, wind and nerves left him disappointed by his first taste of the big time, and eager for improvement in the second round.

With a project cut of 70 players, plus ties, Hendry is currently two shots off the pace for weekend play.

"Today was probably the worst I've hit the ball in a couple of years," he reflected afterwards. "A lot of that was potentially do with the preparation being poor with my back and bit of nerves, being in this situation for the first time.

"Normally, I don't hit the ball anywhere near as bad as I did, but if I can just get myself back in the position where I feel like I'm hitting it as well as I normally do, I'm happy I can put a good score on the board tomorrow."

Hendry, 37, struggled early, with a bogey on his first hole and three more by the turn, before steadying down the final nine.

"The advantage we had was the sun came out and it got a bit warmer," he said. "When we teed off, it was pretty chilly, but by the time we got through to about the eighth hole, jumpers were coming off and it turned out to be a pretty nice day, although the wind was still there.

"The nerves were pretty much gone by the third or fourth hole, but the rhythm of your golf swing changes. It gets a bit quick and it can kind of set the rhythm for the entire day, particularly when it's a little bit breezy and you're trying to hit different shots - higher or lower, depending on whether you're going with or against the wind.

"To be perfectly honest, it was a round that could have been a lot, lot worse, but I managed to keep it together and keep myself in the tournament."

Hendry was not the only one to struggle in the conditions - US Masters champion Sergio Garcia and 2013 Open winner Phil Mickelson share his three-over score after the first day, eight shots behind leaders Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka and Matt Kuchar.

"I managed to scrape a score together that hasn't put me out of the tournament yet," he said. "If I go out there and play solid tomorrow, I'm happy I can do what I need to do to make the cut, and then try and work my way up the leaderboard for the rest of the week."

Hendry is due to tee off alongside American Brian Harman and Scot Martin Laird for tonight's second round, 6.30pm NZT.

Fox has drawn Kuchar and Scot Richie Ramsay, beginning 7.30pm NZT.