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5 things to look for on Friday at the 144th British Open

Ryan Ballengee

With the 144th British Open starting to take shape after a Jekyll-and-Hyde first round, there are more surprises in store on Friday.

However, the Day 1 story was Dustin Johnson, who took the lead with a 7-under 65, one shot ahead of a group that includes Jason Day and Zach Johnson. Two-time 2015 major winner Jordan Spieth trails Dustin Johnson by two shots after an opening 67.

Meanwhile, Tiger Woods stumbled again to a new low, while Tom Watson and Nick Faldo are on the precipice of their final Open rounds at St. Andrews.

Here are the five things we're looking out for – if not forward to – on Friday:

Tom Watson drives a ball during the first round of the British Open. (AP)
Tom Watson drives a ball during the first round of the British Open. (AP)

1. Tom Watson's final walk over the Swilcan Bridge – The five-time Open champion is at 4-over after Day 1 and staring at a missed cut. That would make his walk over golf's most famous bridge his last in competition. If that appears the case, expect a flood of emotion from Watson, his playing partners Ernie Els and Brandt Snedeker and the Scottish crowd, which loves and respects the American.

2. A steady diet of hefty winds – Intermittent heavy rain is expected throughout the morning on Friday, but winds ranging from 20-35 mph should be present throughout the day. Sometimes, the wind will gust over 40 mph. That means about half the holes will be with the wind and half against. Expect a stark contrast in scores between the outward and inward nines.

3. The Dustin and Jordan Show – It's like the U.S. Open never ended. Dustin Johnson is in the lead and Jordan Spieth is just two shots behinds him. That sounds like pretty late in the day on Sunday at Chambers Bay. The question on Friday is if they can survive the weather playing in the same group.

4. Can the Americans continue to dominate? – Of the top 12 on the leaderboard, six are Americans, including amateur Jordan Niebrugge, who is at 5-under par. After Americans took four consecutive Opens from 2003-06, only two Americans (Stewart Cink in 2009, Phil Mickelson in 2013) have won since.

5. Tiger Woods' certain doom – Tiger Woods is simply unable to take what he does on the driving range and in practice rounds into competition. That mental block is what leads to scores like we saw on Thursday. After a 4-over 76 to start, Woods will need a miraculous turnaround in nasty winds to get to the weekend.

Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.