Master and pupil, young pretender and the man who once wore golf's crown. Whichever description you chose yesterday when Justin Rose played alongside Tom Watson, it was a fascinating contest of age and experience against youth and talent yet to be fully realised. In the end, the honours were even, both men finishing their first round with a 74, four over par.

But Rose was the biggest sponge on Royal Birkdale's sodden links as he absorbed lessons from one of golf's greatest players. The sporting bond between the two is uncanny: Watson, 58, won the last of his five Open Championships in 1983 at Royal Birkdale, where Rose was catapulted to prominence when he tied for fourth place as an amateur in 1998 and announced himself on the world stage.

As the wind blew Rose's umbrella inside out and the rain pounded down on the fairways, the 27-year-old Englishman was given an insight into Watson's artful approach to such difficult conditions. From tee to green, the American was immaculate, driving shorter than either Rose or Aaron Baddeley, the Australian who recorded a 75 yesterday to complete their three-ball, but always hitting the target. If Watson had been able to putt with the same quality, he might have been up there with the leaders.

Rose said: “I asked him if he had played these conditions before and he said, ‘Yes, at Muirfield in 1980' - and he shot a 68 there. I couldn't believe it. He is awesome. I can see exactly how he won the Open Championship. The way he reads the wind, the ball flight - it's incredible. There was a lot to take from his game to add to mine for the future.”

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Times Archive, 1983: Tom Watson's five-pointed star

Watson won the Open at Birkdale with characteristic courage, emulating Peter Thomson's five titles

• Trevino, the champion who just loves to play golf

• Thomson's fifth victory his greatest

• Palmer's power too much for Open golf field

Multimedia

• Was Lyle right to quit the Open?

• Justin Rose's Open diary

• Today's tee times

Birkdale braced for the worst

Gale-force winds and rain threaten to leave the Open in tatters as players criticise "unplayable" course

• Hardy few hold heads up high at Birkdale

• Players cut up rough over Birkdale tees

• Greg Norman in his element after 'fairest' test

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• Brit pack headed by new Westwood

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• The art of lighting a fag in the rain

Whether that future includes a victory this weekend remains to be seen, although Rose did show some of the steel he will need. As the wind raged and the rain drenched spectators and players, Rose temporarily lost the plot, with bogeys at the 2nd and 9th holes and a double-bogey six at the 6th. At the turn, though, he straightened his back, forgot the first nine holes and started all over again to par the inward nine. It was down to a new mental approach to each shot, the sort of approach that Watson used. And he has won five Opens.