We spent all of Thursday waiting for a sprinkling of gold dust upon the 147th Open Championship. It ultimately failed to arrive but Rory McIlroy remains in the hunt, three shots off the lead. When two under par after just four holes, Tiger Woods seemed sure to deliver. At three under and only two from the lead, the defending champion Jordan Spieth supplied blue-chip hope. Justin Thomas revelled in the switch from Carnasty to Carfasty. But what the Open Championship giveth, it revels in taking away; especially here.

While clearly not for the ages, this was the first round of the underdog. As gallery expectation surrounded what the marquee names could manufacture, lesser lights used their clubs to make a point en masse. By close of play, the leading four names had an average world ranking of 163. Kevin Kisner, courtesy of a five-under-par 66, heads Erik van Rooyen, Tony Finau and Zach Lombard by a shot. The day’s 68s belonged to Ryan Moore, Brendon Steele and Brandon Stone. It is hardly being disrespectful to predict some awkward conversations within the upper echelons of the R&A, should the leaderboard retain this complexion over the next 54 holes.

Woods, who had arrived at the Open venue with strapping on a neck injury, played his last six in two over, thereby delivering a level-par 71 which had promised so much more. Spieth seemed on a mission to prove the toughest closing stretch in golf is indeed available here. Thomas was two over par for his last seven, his 69 hardly a disaster but a sharp antidote to earlier excitement as he moved to within touching range of Kisner. As big names wobbled on scorched fairways Kisner paced forward in his typical, understated style. Should the 34-year-old from South Carolina emerge as the latest major champion from the United States, perhaps Europe would be as well waving a Ryder Cup white flag. Kisner was part of a US team delegation that headed to the Ryder Cup venue on the outskirts of Paris last weekend, with reconnaissance in mind.

A barely believable statistic from Kisner’s opening round of 66 is that it included only 22 putts. He headed for the driving range upon completion of media duties, no doubt safe in the knowledge such form with the flat stick does not tend to linger. “I was missing every putt to the right the last time I played on the PGA Tour,” Kisner said.

“So I came here on Monday and worked really hard on my speed, which is always the hardest thing for us to get accustomed to here. I felt like the greens were not as slow as we’ve had in the past because the wind hadn’t been up yet. The transition wasn’t as big a deal.”

If a Kisner alliance with the Claret Jug remains a long shot – that is the blunt truth, not a criticism – he at least has the experience of high‑profile brushes with glory. Kisner lost in a play-off at the 2015 Players Championship and contended in last year’s US PGA Championship. So what did both teach him? “That everyone else is really good at golf,” he answered with a broad smile.

Danny Willett’s recovery from the doldrums continued with a 69. The Yorkshireman could hardly be despondent at bogeys on each of his last two holes, such was the dismal state of his game for a long period after the Masters victory of 2016. Willett has since encountered back and shoulder problems, linked to loss of form. “Pitch black,” he said when asked how dark the dark times were.

“It wasn’t good for a while but that’s kind of the situation I was in – fighting, swinging it a little bit on and off and the body being really uncooperative. Perspective is good but you still get annoyed. It’s definitely nice to be stood here after shooting a relatively stress-free 69.”

The notion of McIlroy lying hidden in plain sight seems faintly ludicrous given his status as a four‑times major champion. Nonetheless, in context of the day McIlroy’s 69 – impressive, if unremarkable – may have been significant. The Northern Irishman’s decision to attack Carnoustie was vindicated, just as his assertion of this being “the worst I will drive the ball this week” leapt out.

For all McIlroy’s missed chances, his saving of par at the 16th suggested an element of putting assuredness that has been missing in recent weeks. “That was massive,” he said. Jon Rahm, whose bold approach mirrored that of McIlroy, returned an identical score. Brooks Koepka was in serious trouble after a front nine of 41 but responded in a manner befitting his back‑to‑back US Open champion status. Koepka’s inward half took only 31 strokes.

There were high-profile Thursday casualties. Patrick Reed, the holder of the Green Jacket, signed for a 75. Spieth was turning heads among his fellow players before playing the closing four holes in the same number over par. Spieth’s 72 was matched by his playing partner, Justin Rose, who took verbal aim at a photographer after being distracted over a short putt – duly missed – on the 6th. The incident seemed to affect Rose’s composure.

Dustin Johnson, the world No 1, stumbled to a 76. He took a triple‑bogey seven at the last. Sergio García’s form and mood have been strangely grim during most of 2018; the Spaniard would hardly have been cheered up by a 75, albeit he signed off with a birdie at the 18th.

Phil Mickelson was presumably happy to be back inside the major ropes after the epic noise which followed his rules aberration at the US Open. With that public relations disaster in mind, it was perhaps no shock he turned on the charm despite a 73 which was most notable for a double bogey at the par‑three 16th. “The pins were where I thought they’d be,” the 2013 champion said. “The course played the way I thought it would. It’s a very fun, fair and hard test. It’s good. Really good.”

Those seeking another episode of golf-meets-hockey seem destined to be disappointed. Whisper it, but that was a palpable Thursday emotion.