The Open organisers took emergency overnight measures after the first-round’s sand storm as they attempted to fix flat-bottomed bunkers that forced balls to run up to within edges of vertical faces.

Greenstaff were deployed to return the concave floors to the traps by building up the bunker edges, allowing the balls to roll back to the centre of the hazards. It was almost an unprecedented act, although the R&A claimed it had not been an unusual set-up.

“We would like to advise you of an adjustment we have made to the way the bunkers were raked overnight,” a statement said.

“Yesterday afternoon the bunkers dried up more than we have seen in recent weeks and that led to more balls running straight up against the face than we would normally expect.

“We have therefore raked all of the bunkers slightly different to take the sand up a rung on the rivet on the face of the bunkers. We routinely rake bunkers flat at most Open venues but decided this adjustment was appropriate in the light of the drier conditions which arose yesterday. We will continue to monitor this closely.”

The pros disagreed that this was business as normal. Matthew Jordan, the 27-year-old who grew up playing at the Wirral links, was stunned.

“I haven’t seen the bunkers like this at all,” he said. “I don’t know who’s annoyed the greenkeeper, but yeah — they’re just so flat and they’re so penal. You just can’t hit it in any bunkers whatsoever.”

Rory McIlroy left his third shot in the greenside bunker on the 18th after trying to play it sideways but enacted a great escape for a par, while Phil Mickelson took a triple-bogey eight after coming foul of the sand on that last par five, while Justin Thomas made a nine.

The biggest casualty was Taichi Kho, who after seven bogeys on the front nine was one-under on his back nine heading to the final hole.

Kho left his third in the bunker, and then his fourth and turned backwards to hit his fifth. It went into the fescue rough and from there he hit back into the same bunker. Then his seventh went back into the fescue but from there he found the green and two-putted for a 10.

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