At 53, Greg Norman plays golf for the fun of it. The two-time Open champion and former world No1 has much bigger fish to fry with his business ventures and course designs, and yet when he turns his mind to it, the flamboyant Australian can turn in a fine round of golf.

And that is how it was at a weather-beaten Royal Birkdale yesterday, when Norman showed some of the young guns how to get the ball around in the toughest of conditions at the 137th Open Championship.

Belying his age and lack of practice - he has barely played this year - Norman had a level-par round of 70 that included two birdies and two bogeys and moved him into a share of fourth place, one stroke behind Graeme McDowell, Rocco Mediate and Robert Allenby. And while some players had been heard to moan about the set-up of the course, Norman's words would have sounded as music to the ears of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.

“It's the fairest and toughest Open set-up I've ever seen,” Norman, who had previously played in 25 Opens, dating back to Turnberry in 1977, said. “Tough conditions are definitely an equaliser.”

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Born to compete, Norman was philosophical about his chances over the next three days. He recently married Chris Evert, the former Wimbledon tennis champion, and said that he “practises tennis more than golf”, although a day such as this is guaranteed to get his competitive juices flowing. “There's something about this event that stimulates me,” Norman said. “But I've got to keep my expectations realistically low.”

There is no chance, however, that he will start to increase his playing schedule. “My mind wants to play, but my body doesn't want to practise,” he said, adding that his marriage had “revitalised” his life and changed his priorities.

In the meantime, McDowell and Mediate have followed on where they left off in recent big events. Mediate had been having a rotten season before the US Open at Torrey Pines near San Diego last month, but after getting into a play-off with Tiger Woods and pushing the world No1 all the way, his star is in the ascendant. At 45, the American has found a new lease of life and is reaping rich rewards.

McDowell has been in splendid form, too. The Northern Irishman won the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond on Sunday and was delighted with a round of 69 yesterday that included one bogey in an outward half of 35 and was brought to a close with birdies at the 17th and 18th holes. His confidence knows no bounds.

What of Padraig Harrington? By the end of his first round, you could have been forgiven for wondering why so much fuss had been made of a wrist injury that had threatened the champion's participation. The Irishman had hit three shots in practice on Wednesday when he surrendered to the pain and decided to walk the course instead. Afterwards, he rated his chances of playing at about 75 per cent.

Determined not to give up his crown without a fight, Harrington set off yesterday in driving wind and torrential rain, conditions that chilled competitors and spectators to the bone. And if he had wanted an early test of how his wrist was going to hold up, he did not have to wait long. He found rough off the tee at the 1st, 2nd and 3rd holes but had no reaction to any of the subsequent shots. There were no tell-tale signs of distress, no flinching or quitting on his shots.

Harrington had arrived on the 1st tee shortly before 8am with a distinctive look in his eyes - not quite burning, but alive and highly alert. In short, he looked a player ready to go into battle. And so he did. He reached the turn in 35, with two birdies and three bogeys, and came home in 39, for a 74 in the worst of the elements. Having grown up playing in such conditions and experiencing “exactly the same” at the European Club in Ireland last week - when he won the Irish PGA Championship for the second year running - Harrington was in familiar territory.

“If you told me we all have to tee it up again tomorrow in the same conditions, I'd look forward to that test,” he said. “You're probably looking at close to 40 per cent of the field that aren't prepared to play in weather like that.”