ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) — Turns out there’s another 21-year-old American called Jordan to watch out for at the British Open.

Jordan Niebrugge shot the lowest first-round score by an amateur in the Open at St. Andrews with a 5-under 67 on Thursday, ensuring he was keeping Grand Slam-chasing Jordan Spieth company on the leaderboard.

Niebrugge’s parents — dad Rod and mum Judy — were there to see their son’s first round at a British Open after qualifying for golf’s oldest major last month. They weren’t surprised to see him play so well, given his liking for and experience in links conditions back home in Wisconsin.

“It’s a cool way to play,” said Niebrugge, who took advantage of benign morning conditions to pick up shots on the first and last holes and birdie five more holes on the Old Course. “It’s not target golf, like back in the States. Just to play around here and use your imagination is cool.”

Niebrugge played in the Walker Cup in 2013 and is one of the rising talents in the United States. But he has said he will not turn professional until 2016 after he finishes his degree in entrepreneurship at Oklahoma State, the university that counts Rickie Fowler, Hunter Mahan and Scott Verplank among its golfing alumni.

Niebrugge appears to have an old head on young shoulders, much like Spieth — the current Masters and U.S. Open champion.

“I feel like he’s just got the most confidence in the world and that’s what you need in this sport,” Niebrugge said of Spieth. “That’s what everyone strives for. Definitely looking up to him and following in his footsteps just gives me that extra motivation.”

Wearing a bright pink winter coat, Judy Niebrugge was easy to spot for her son as she walked the course on a cool, cloudy morning. Niebrugge’s parents were also over for three weeks last month, when he competed in the British Amateurs, the Brabazon Trophy (an English amateur championship) and then final qualifying for the British Open.

Niebrugge shot 69 and 72 to tie for first place at Hillside, near Liverpool, and qualify for his second major after the Masters in 2014.

“He’s been in this situation before, at the Masters and the Walker Cup, so I’m not really surprised,” a proud-looking Rod Niebrugge said by the 18th green.

“He is pretty comfortable in this type of course and this type of weather is not unusual for him. He plays in wind in Oklahoma State and has played in snow in Wisconsin during high school in spring season. Obviously we didn’t expect the 67 out of him, but he always had a chance of doing well.”

Other amateurs were doing well on Thursday, too.

Paul Kinnear, a 20-year-old from Liverpool who also came through final qualifying, reached the turn at 5 under par. Ireland’s Paul Dunne shot 69 and 22-year-old American Oliver Schniederjans had a 70.

In other early action at the tournament Thursday morning, some players were finished and others were yet to tee off. A few highlights follow:

— Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson have carried their memorable duel at Chambers Bay all the way to St. Andrews.

Spieth won the U.S. Open for his second major title of the year when Johnson three-putted from 12 feet at the final hole.

Johnson insisted before the British Open that he was over that bitter disappointment. Clearly, he wasn’t kidding, playing the first 12 holes on the Old Course at 6 under for a share of the lead with Spieth, Charl Schwartzel, Robert Streb and Retief Goosen. Johnson finished 7 under, while Spieth finished two strokes back.

Streb and Goosen are in the clubhouse with 66s.

— With Jean van de Velde nowhere to be found, Paul Lawrie has surged into a 6 under finish at the British Open.

Lawrie is at 7 under through 14 holes and tied for the top spot with Dustin Johnson.

The 46-year-old Scotsman is best known for his improbable Open victory at Carnoustie in 1999, when he rallied from 10 shots behind going into the final round to beat Van de Velde in a playoff. Of course, there wouldn’t have been a playoff if not for the Frenchman making a triple-bogey on the 72nd hole.

Lawrie hasn’t come close to winning another major since then, but he was giving the home crowd quite a thrill Thursday at St. Andrews.

The clubhouse leader is Dustin Johnson as of Thursday morning.

— Tiger Woods has won two of his British Open titles at the Old Course.

At the moment, it doesn’t even look like he’ll make it to the weekend at the British Open.

Woods is enduring another miserable round in a major championship, making the turn Thursday with an ugly 4-over 40 while most players are ripping up the course in prime scoring conditions.

Woods plunked his second shot of the day — a wedge at the inviting first hole — into the burn that runs in front of the green. That set the tone, as he bogeyed four of the first seven holes.

Of the 87 players on the course, 70 are at par or better. Then there’s Woods, who is only beating two other players, Kevin Streelman and Rod Pampling.

— David Lingmerth started the British Open by tying a scoring record on the front nine.

He looked like a totally different player on the back side.

The Swedish golfer birdied the first four holes on the way to a 7-under 29 at the turn. That tied the best nine-hole score ever posted during an Open at St. Andrews, matching Tony Jacklin’s performance in 1970.

On the return leg, Lingmerth couldn’t keep it going. Not even close. He bogeyed the 11th, 14th and 15th holes, then took a double-bogey at the 17th after hitting his second shot into the infamous Road Hole bunker. Hitting out with his back to the flag, he wound up three-putting for a 6.

Lingmerth finally made another birdie at the 18th, leaving him with a 3-under 69 and three shots off the lead.

Robert Streb shot a 66, while Matt Jones and Greg Owen are both two shots back at 68. Amateur Paul Dunne matched Lingmerth with a 69.

By Paul Newberry

AP National Writer