Kim fires, Elk in the hunt

than Padraig Harrington, who now has a fight on his hands to avoid a fifth successive missed cut just two weeks before his bid for a British Open hat-trick at Turnberry.

So bad was Kaymer's right foot that as well as being seen by a doctor he had a hole cut in his golf shoe to allow him to play Wednesday's pro-am.

With the help of his three partners he won that by four with an amazing 16-under best-ball of 55, but to be only seven worse than that on his own underlined what a massive talent he is.

Strange is among a group of five players three shots back in a tie for second place at six-under.

Also at six-under are England's 2006 winner John Bickerton, Thai Thongchai Jaidee, Swede Peter Hanson and Argentina's Rafa Echenique.

Aussies Marcus Fraser and Richard Green are in a share of 20th place at three-under-par.

Kiwis Michael Campbell (tied for 130th) and Mark Brown (tied for 151st) are well down the field, shooting four-over 75 and 79 respectively. Campbell failed to sink a single birdie while Brown managed two but also suffered two double bogies and a horrendous eight at the par-three 2nd.

Harrington was paired with Ian Poulter, runner-up to him at Royal Birkdale last year and to Swede Henrik Stenson in May's Players Championship in Florida, but they both finished down the field on one-over.

Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie, without a top-10 finish since he was runner-up in this event last year, returned a 69, but major winners Jose Maria Olazabal, Angel Cabrera and John Daly all fared worse than Harrington.

Daly was already eight-over when he quit with a bad back on the 17th, Olazabal had a 74 and the 75 of Masters champion Cabrera meant he even finished five behind his 20-year-old son Federico.

The youngster was even on the leaderboard early in the day at three-under, but then matched Poulter's seven on the last.

Miguel Angel Jimenez, whose 500th European Tour event began with a hook into the water, hit back for a 67 and fellow Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal, the defending champion, matched that with five birdies in the last six holes - after a triple bogey eight on the ninth.