ST. ANDREWS, Scotland -- In the 137 years since the British Open first came to St. Andrews, the Old Course rarely has been such a pushover. Rarer still was the score Rory McIlroy delivered.

Whether it was the luck of the draw or his tantalizing talent really didn't matter.

In conditions so calm that not a hair on his considerable mop was out of place, McIlroy set off on an incredible run into the record book Thursday with a 9-under 63 that gave him a 2-shot lead.

Rory McIlroy was in fine spirits at the Old Course, brought on by a round of 9-under 63 that matched the major championship record. Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

"Going out there this morning with no wind, you're never going to get St. Andrews playing any easier," McIlroy said.

It was just as easy for John Daly, a former champion at St. Andrews and now the ultimate long shot. He first energized the gallery by bashing tee shots and making enough birdies for a 66, matching his best score in the British Open.

And it was just as easy for Tiger Woods, who ran off three straight birdies late in his round for a 67.

"With the conditions we had, you had to go get it,'' said Woods, who made just one bogey and shot the same opening-round score as in 2005 -- when he went on to win the tournament by 5 strokes.

"You had to take advantage of it. I felt like I did a pretty good job of that today, and I let the round mature. Most of the guys were under early, even though I wasn't, and I said, just let the round mature, just keep hanging in there and keep plugging along, and it could have been a pretty good round today.''

There were 45 rounds in the 60s, 73 players broke par and the average score was under par -- 71.75.

"The old lady had no clothes on today," Tom Watson said after a 73.

No one took advantage like McIlroy, a 21-year-old from Northern Ireland with a game beyond his years. His 63 tied the lowest score in any major, and it was only the second such score at St. Andrews in golf's oldest championship.

Of the eight players who have shot 63 in the British Open, McIlroy is the only one to do it in the first round.

"I'm very happy that I was able to take advantage of those conditions," said McIlroy, who had a 2-shot lead over Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa. "And it gives me a little bit of a buffer going into the next three days, whatever weather comes our way."

It sure didn't feel easy in the afternoon.

Not long after McIlroy finished his round, the leaden skies over St. Andrews Bay brought showers to the Old Course and a breeze that picked up strength the rest of the afternoon.

Of the 16 players atop the leaderboard, only Peter Hanson (66), Bradley Dredge (66), Lee Westwood (67) and Y.E. Yang (67) teed off after the wind showed up at noon.

"The difference for the early and late starters was huge," Westwood said. "You could have kicked it round in a low score this morning. The course was defenseless, and I actually expected somebody to post a 62. I don't think I have ever known St. Andrews as calm. Hopefully, we might get a break with the weather tomorrow morning, but you never know."