In major championship conditions and with difficult greens to contend with, Adilson Da Silva managed to emerge from the first round of the US Senior Open Championship with a level-par 70.

The man who took the Legends Tour’s Order of Merit last year was in a share of 18th with, amongst others, Retief Goosen, after the Brazilian made one birdie and a bogey. He was just three strokes off the lead. Goosen’s round was made up of five birdies and five bogeys.

Australian Mark Hensby made seven birdies over the first nine holes at The Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He finished the day at three-under 67, good for a one-shot lead over Bob Estes, Thomas Bjørn and three others with the morning rounds wrapping up and the afternoon wave hitting the course. Miguel Angel Jiménez was part of a group of six that shot 69.

“Obviously, I felt like I lost some out there,” Hensby said. “It’s just frustrating. I played like (expletive) the back nine. What else can you say?”

He finished with a pair of bogeys, each coming after drives that missed the fairway and landed in rough that is thick – but not Oakmont thick, and not the biggest problem at this course nestled at the base of Cheyenne Mountain.

“There’s so much slope, and it all comes off the mountain – most of the time,” Hensby said. “Sometimes it doesn’t. But the greens were softer today, so it kind of made it a little bit easier, and probably not as fast as they can get.”

A big storm on Tuesday dumped water all over the course, but drier conditions are expected for the weekend. When the tournament was last played here in 2018, David Toms won with a score of three-under par.

Ernie Els opened with a two-over 72 for a share of 52nd, James Kingston had a 74 for a share of 77th, and Keith Horne was in a share of 91st after his opening 75.