After having to endure scorching heat all week in practice, players at the Open breathed a sigh of relief when forecasters predicted cooler weather for the championship proper.

Temperatures are due to peak at 34 degrees at Hoylake in Liverpool today, with an increasing risk of heavy, thundery rain in the evening and through the night.

The outlook is for cooler weather in tomorrow's first round, with showers forecast for the morning and temperatures expected to slide into the mid-20s with winds generally light.

The recent spell of hot weather has left the fairways dry, bone-hard and straw-coloured in appearance.

Meanwhile, the organisers of the Open championship are introducing drug-testing - not at Hoylake this week, but at the world amateur team championships in South Africa later in the year.

Royal and Ancient Club chief executive Peter Dawson said today: "We don't think at the moment that there is much use of performance-enhancing drugs in golf.

"There have been quite a number of drugs tests, mainly in France, and the majority of the positive tests were for social drugs, which under the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) code are just as important as performance-enhancing ones.

"That said, we do support the introduction of drug-testing in golf. We would be anxious to keep the sport free of it. The issue is how do you do that effectively?

"These elite players are playing golf all around the world 52 weeks a year, so it's extremely important that the game as a whole, professional and elite amateur, introduces drug policies."