Jason Day felt he should have been well in the red figures, Min Woo Lee ended up having to applaud his own gritty streak and Adam Scott must have found it a tough old birthday slog.
Yet at the end of a day of 'what might have been' for Australia's seven-strong contingent at the 154th British Open, none were able to enjoy the feeling of having kicked off their bids in style at Royal Birkdale as they failed to break par on a day when 38 other players did.
Not that any of the Aussie raiders were out of the picture, with even Day and Cam Smith, tied outside the top-100, only eight off the pace, but this still felt like a first day when the Aussies were bathed in perspiration but not blessed by much inspiration.
