WILTSHIRE amateur Ben Stow carded a 76 in his opening round at the 142nd Open Championship at Muirfield this morning.

Stow, from East Knoyle, near Warminster, teed off in the second group out with 2004 champion Todd Hamilton and Sweden's Ryder Cup star Robert Karlsson.

And the 21 year old briefly dipped under par as he birdied the short hole.

However, a horror stretch around the turn slipped Stow, watched by parents Belinda and Kevin, girlfriend Maddi and coach Darren Gass, down the field.

Bogeys at the seventh and eighth took him over par for the championship and a double-bogey at the long par five ninth took him to three over par.

The University of Kentucky student steadied things a little in the back nine, although two more shots went at the 12th and 16th holes.

he added some late cheer with a birdie at the long par five 17th, but returned to five over par as he bogeyed the final hole.

Playing partner Hamilton was the early clubhouse leader after shooting a two-under-par 69, while Karlsson fared one shot worse than Stow, with a 77.

The three-ball tee off their second round at 11.44am tomorrow morning.

REACTION FROM STOW ON HIS OPENING ROUND AT WILTSHIRETIMES.CO.UK/SPORT LATER, UPDATES ON TOMORROW'S SECOND ROUND VIA TWITTER @WTSport AND MORE ON STOW'S WEEK AT THE OPEN IN FRIDAY'S WILTSHIRE TIMES