AN AYRSHIRE golfer has enjoyed a dream start to his Open Championship quest.

Irvine man Michael Stewart only earned his place at 'golf's original championship' following the final qualifying round at Dundonald Links in his home town on July 4.

But he has proved his impressive qualifying run was far from a fluke, as he sits above golf royalty tied in fourth position in the major championship at the time of writing.

Michael opened up the championship at Royal Liverpool with an impressive round of 68, three under par.

That saw him finish the day inside the top 10 of the championship - and only two shots off the lead.

At the beginning of his second round he has continued to hold his nerve, with two birdies, a bogey and four pars on his opening sevenholes which keeps him in a tie for fourth place.

Though he does now sit four shots behind current leader Brian Harman who is now eight under par.

With the projected cut set to be players with a score of two over or better - it seems that Michael is likely to be here for the weekend.

Very much an outsider at the beginning of the tournament, he is currently outscoring firm favourites and past major champions like Rory McIlroy, John Rahm and Jordan Speith.

He is currently the top placed Scot in the competition as things stand, and second highest placed Brit.

To keep tabs on his progress, the live leaderboard can be viewed online at theopen.com/leaderboard or coverage is live on Sky Sports Golf - channel 405.

Ayr Advertiser: Michael Stewart currently sits inside the championships top ten.Michael Stewart currently sits inside the championships top ten. (Image: PA)