Ayrshire golfer Jack McDonald hailed the local support he received on the first day of the Open at Royal Troon - despite a score that leaves him facing a battle on Friday to make the cut for the weekend.

The talented golfer is flying the flag for Ayrshire after squeaking through the local qualifying tournament in dramatic fashion.

The Kilmarnock Barassie player was one of three to finish on four under par in qualifying at Dundonald earlier this month, but came out on top after a play-off.

The 31-year-old follows in the footsteps of his grandfather Gordon Cosh, who played in the Open at Turnberry in 1977.

McDonald admits he had a "wee bit of nerves" on his opening round, and felt he played better than his five-over-par score of 76 suggested. 

He said: "I played really well green to tee to be honest. I had a few three-putts and then I missed a short one on four.

"I just kept committing to everything. I was a bit tentative on the putting. It was maybe a wee bit of nerves, but that's understandable."

The golfer has hailed the local crowd for their support, with lots of familiar faces cheering him on around the links course. 

He added: "You see all the familiar faces in the crowd and stuff like that. I wanted to go and speak to them, but I still have to play golf."

McDonald kicked off the tournament with the day's first tee time as part of a group which also included former Open winners Justin Leonard and Todd Hamilton.

And in spite of the challenges of his own round, he still managed to outdo his illustrious opponents, with Leonard and Hamilton carding rounds of 80 and 82 respectively.