Smith fired a stylish five-under-par 67 on Thursday to sit three strokes shy of American leader Cameron Young after the first round of the marquee 150th Open.

Open favourite Rory McIlroy, with a 66, is the only other player in front of Smith, who has history on his side as he steps up his pursuit of an elusive maiden major following a third at this year's Masters and a tie for 13th at the US PGA Championship.

Thirteen of the 14 champions at St Andrews since WWII have figured in the top 10 after round one, leaving Smith's unheralded countryman Brad Kennedy - joint fifth after a 68 - also well positioned for a run at the cherished Claret Jug.

Smith, though, once again looms as Australia's brightest hope of snapping the country's 29-year Open title drought after mixing six birdies with just one bogey.

"It's nice to get off to a hot start any week, really," said the world No.6.

"But these majors, the tougher the course gets, especially around here, how it's going to get really firm and really fast, it's almost going to be like holding on, I think, on the weekend.

"So nice to get out there and shoot a number and get myself well under par."

Smith has only once in four previous starts finished in the top 20 at the Open.

The 28-year-old reckons the key to his turnaround is no longer over-complicating things playing links golf.

"Maybe at the start of my professional career I was trying to play too much of the right shot rather than just sticking to kind of what I know," Smith said.

"I feel like I'm hitting more similar shots to what I would in the US, whereas before I thought the need to try and hit it low because that's what everyone said you had to do.

"And I think with the humps and hollows, it comes quite unpredictable, and just something that I've learned over the years."

Five-times champion Peter Thomson in 1955 and Kel Nagle in 1960 are the only Australians to have won the Open at golf's spiritual home.

Smith says he'd love nothing more than to be the next.

"Places like this just have a certain feel to them, and almost gives you goosebumps," he said.

"Standing on the first tee at St Andrews in an Open is something that I've only dreamt of doing as a kid, and for it to all come real and to have the support I did out there today was pretty cool."

While Smith's lofty place on the leaderboard is no surprise, Kennedy's certainly is.

After missing the cut in his previous three Open starts, the 48-year-old world No.135 racked up eight birdies to grab a shock share of fifth with world No.1 Scottie Scheffler and fellow heavyweights Dustin Johnson, Victor Hovland and Lee Westwood.

Min Woo Lee is tied for 13th at three under, with Lucas Herbert a further stroke behind after opening with a 70.

Adam Scott has ground to make up following an even-par 70, the same score as Jason Scrivener.

But Scott's fellow former Open runner-up Marc Leishman's latest quest to claim the Claret Jug is all but over after a four-over 76.

After being two under through three holes, Leishman was too angry to talk about his collapse.

HOW THE AUSSIES FARED IN THE BRITISH OPEN FIRST ROUND:

67: Cameron Smith - T3rd

68: Brad Kennedy - T5th

69: Min Woo Lee - T13th

70: Lucas Herbert - T27th

72: Adam Scott, Jason Scrivener - T55th

74: Anthony Quayle, Matthew Griffin - T101st

76: Marc Leishman - T132nd

77: Dimi Papadatos - T143rd

79: Jed Morgan - T150th

Australian Associated Press