Adam Scott's 6-Under 64 Leads 2012 British Open

Australian Adam Scott converted eight birdies as part of his 6-under 64 in the first round of the British Open Thursday. (Getty Images)

Royal Lytham & St. Annes in northwest England has set itself apart as the type of golf course that tends to bring the creme of the crop to the top. If the first round of this year's British Open is any indicator of how the rest of the tournament will play out, we could expect to see some of golf's best battling it out for the coveted major championship. While there were many great first round scores, one man's round was exceptionally better than the rest. That man was Adam Scott of Australia.

After an early bogey, Scott quickly bounced back and found his groove. His drives were precise, irons were steady, and putting game was confidently consistent. Scott came to the 17th hole on par to tie the record score (63) for the lowest round of any major ever. With a chance to make history, he settled for a par on the 17th and a bogey on the 18th to finish with a 6-under 64. Scott's score tied the course record set by Tom Lehman in 1996.

While Scott has never previously won a major, many of the players atop the leaderboard are former major winners. Paul Lawrie and Zach Johnson are one shot off the lead. Ernie Els, Bubba Watson, Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy, and Tiger Woods are all three shots back. That makes 7 of the top 13 in the leaderboard former major winners, who have won a combined 22 majors (14 by Woods). The other non-major winners near the top of the leaderboard are Nicolas Colsaerts (one shot back); Brandt Snedeker (two shots back); and Toshinori Muto, Steve Stricker, and Peter Hanson (all three shots back).

Royal Lytham has really distinguished itself as one of the greatest venues in the world. While it is only 6,973 yards in length, it more than compensates for it with its 205 bunkers and rough that swallows any balls that venture near it. In fact, since the Official World Golf Ranking debuted in 1986, every winner at Royal Lytham has been ranked #1 at one at some point in their career. No other course can boast of such an accomplishment.

Looking at our current leaderboard, the three former #1 ranked players are Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, and Rory McIlroy. If the aforementioned trend continues, these could be three of the top contenders to win the Open. Woods had a very good first round, hitting 13 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens. His putting may need to improve if he is going to win. Els is a savvy veteran who is a former Open Championship winner. McIlroy won his first career major last year. He could be in prime position for a run at his second.

While that is all merely speculation, there are some things we can seem to bank on for the rest of the tournament. If first round scores are any indicators, we could be in for some excellent golf. Royal Lytham has provided a beautiful venue for the golfers and spectators. We appear to be in for some very exciting and well played golf. I look forward to seeing what takes place the rest of the way.