GULLANE, Scotland — The only things more fiery than the parched, rock-hard turf at Muirfield in the first round of the British Open yesterday were the players who walked off the course ticked off at the diabolical conditions.
There are plenty of terrific scores on the leaderboard, with 20 players under par through 18 holes. Zach Johnson leads everyone at 5-under par, followed by 56-year-old Mark O'Meara and Spain's Rafael Cabrera-Bello at 4-under.
Miguel Angel Jimenez, Dustin Johnson, Brandt Snedeker and 54-year-old Tom Lehman are all 3-under par, while Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are among a group at 2-under par and very much in the mix.
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CROUCHING TIGER: Tiger Woods looks confounded as he inspects his putt on No. 18. Woods was among those critical of the fast greens and tough pin placements. "I putted a ball off a green and it wasn't that bad a putt. Anything that goes by 4 feet, it's gone. It was tough," he said.
But it was the close-to-the-edge pin positions on the crispy greens that raised the ire of a number of players and became as much the theme of the day as the players atop the leaderboard.
Mickelson said officials from the Royal & Ancient Golf Club responsible for the course set-up, "have got to let go of [of their] ego and just set the course up the way the best players can win. The greens are dying and the holes are on edges of slopes that the ball just simply won't stay.''
With no rain in the area in days, the conditions are bone-dry, which makes the golf course hard and fast, and many of the greens are browning out.
Ian Poulter, who shot 72, tweeted after his round that No. 8 is "a joke of a hole,'' and ripped No. 18, saying it "needed a windmill and a clown's face.''
David Lynn, who shot 79, tweeted they were "gin and tonic pins,'' referring to the greens staff having been drunk while setting the pins.
"It was brutal, really,'' said Stephen Gallacher, who shot 79. "The greens were ridiculous. It was as stressed as I've ever seen a course play. The difference between Tuesday and [yesterday] is unbelievable.''
Woods, who overcame a potential round-killer on the first hole when he hit his opening tee shot so poorly he had to hit a provisional and then take a penalty drop yet made a bogey save, was not as livid about the conditions as some players, but he acknowledged the issue.
"I could see how guys were complaining about it,'' he said. "As the golf course dried out it got quick. I mean, I putted a ball off a green and it wasn't that bad a putt. Anything that goes by 4 feet, it's gone. It was tough."
It was not so tough, though, for Johnson, who quickly shed his disappointment from a gut-wrenching five-hole playoff loss to Jordan Spieth at the John Deere Classic on Sunday to shoot a 66.
Nick Faldo said yesterday, while speaking with Johnson in the fitness trailer on Tuesday, Johnson told him Muirfield was his favorite course of all-time. Faldo took note of that, expecting Johnson might prosper this week because of that attitude.
"It's easy for me to stand up here, because I shot the lowest score so far and I enjoyed the course, but there are some dicey pins,'' Johnson said. "I don't know the protocol involved here I would assume there's going to be some sort of watering on those greens [overnight] — especially where the pins are now, because it's getting very, very baked.''
There is no rain in the forecast for the rest of the tournament.
"My guess is that they'll use some intellect involved there to make it at least playable so we can finish,'' Johnson said.
Peter Dawson, the executive director of the R&A, responding to player criticisms, saying, "I do understand some players get very frustrated. Ian Poulter, I know, bogeyed three out of the last four holes. But we're very satisfied with the course. It's far from unplayable. It's playable, but indeed very testing.''
Mickelson said he felt "very lucky'' to have played in the morning "because as the day wore on and we got to the back nine, about a third of every green started to die and became brown. The guys that played early had a huge, huge break.''
The draw is reversed today, with the likes of Mickelson and Johnson playing in the afternoon and Woods and O'Meara playing in the morning. So the advantage shifts.
"Hopefully,'' Mickelson said of the R&A, "they'll let go of their ego and set it up reasonable.''
Lee Westwood, one of the minority of players who said they were fine with the set-up, said he does not expect there to be any drastic changes overnight and he tweaked Mickelson in the process.
"I don't think they'll pay much attention to what Phil says,'' Westwood said.
mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com
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