The opening round of the 2012 British Open Championship will get underway from Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club bright and early on Thursday morning in England, as the best golfers on the planet desperately try to get a leg-up on their competitors with a strong first day.

Live online streaming coverage will be available at the British Open's official website starting at 12:30 a.m. EST Thursday morning, and will be simulcast on both Facebook and LiveStream in addition to being featured on The Open's iPhone and Android applications.

After whetting your appetite with the online stream, live network television coverage will begin four hours later at 4:30 a.m. on ESPN, and will run until the conclusion of the day's round at 3:00 p.m. An encore presentation will also be aired on ESPN until 6:00 p.m. immediately following the live broadcast.

For more Open coverage, stay with this StoryStream. For more golf coverage, be sure to check out SB Nation's golf hub.