Key events
McIlroy is on the move. Rory misses another fairway, this time at 5, and his approach leaves him putting up and over a ridge from just under 30 feet. A two-putt would be just fine from there but Rory does it in one! A huge roar as he drains his birdie and, unlikely fact alert, for the first time ever in an Open at Portrush, Rory is under par. It’s taken him 41 holes to do so. At 6, a par 3 that heads back inland, he hits a smart shot to the centre of the green.
Wolverhampton’s finest, Aaron Rai, has made it a four-way tie at the top. He’s on a bostin’ Black Country birdie burst after gains at 2, 5, 7 and 8. Meanwhile, Harris English has climbed to -3. The American was a winner at Torrey Pines earlier this season and also finished fast to take second place at the PGA Championship.
-4: JS Olesen (F), Li (F), Fitzpatrick (F), Rai (8)
-3: Jordan (F), Scheffler (F), Bezuidenhout (9), English (4), Glover (3).
Potty mouth Tommy Fleetwood! The world feed commentators are already apologising for a Fleetwood profanity and then the normally genial Englishman lets out a bellowing “fuck” as he finds a bunker off the tee at 5. Language Timothy. It’s revealing though, hinting at the frustration of a bogey caused by another visit to the sand at 4. It’s a poor lie and his escape catches a bit of mound above the lip but flies clear. He has work to do for his par though. Perhaps Fleetwood was listenting to Robert MacIntyre earlier this week when the Scot said he had to get his anger out rather than hold it within when things weren’t going his way on the course.
Back to the weather. Yes, a post office queue has nothing on this blog when it comes to discussing the elements. Here’s Jason Day speaking after 2-over 73: “The weather here is the craziest weather pattern I’ve ever experienced in my life. There’s no consistency to it whatsoever. You look at the weather. I mean, I’d love to be a weatherman here. You just get it wrong all the time.” Yep, even some of the UK’s most genius weathermen would struggle to predict what happens next. In order I’d go Giles, Scott, Fish … Kettley.
Rory latest: a par at 4. His approach from that decent lie up the left went bounding through the green but out came the short-game skills to help him save par. It’s a steady enough opening in terms of scoring but he’d swap it with Lucas Glover’s flying start: birdie-eagle-par. The 2009 US Open champ is -3 and tied fifth.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout is flying up the leaderboard and sits at -3 after 8 thanks to a hat-trick of birdies at 5, 6 and 7. It would be some story if the South African were to win here. Back in 2014 he was banned from playing in the Amateur Championship at Royal Portrush due to the use of beta blockers. The reason is pretty remarkable: he swallowed rat poison as a toddler and was using them to cope with anxiety and a speech impediment. A lovely bloke, he has to deal with it still today. It’s a fanastic start and note that Bezuidenhout posted 12th at the US Open last month so he has some recent form in a major.
Rory’s birdie try at 3 just slips but, of far more concern, is that he appears to be having an attack of the lefts from the tee. For the second time in four holes he pulls his driver in an unseemly arc from right to left and finds trouble. Or does he? When the camera reveals his ball, it’s sitting up just fine. Up at the 4th green, Viktor Hovland has been in trouble and needs to knock in a testy little bogey putt. The Norwegian drops back to -1.
Thanks Scott. Yes, I’m just back in from watching Rory’s start and it’s probably the best weather of the day. Twenty degrees, winds modest. And yet I heard a couple of marshals mentioning thunderstorms. A quick visual sweep of the horizon certainly showed no signs of any dark clouds but it can change very quickly in these parts. And the official Met forecast does have a yellow thunderstorm warning. It also suggests a 70% chance of rain each hour until close of play. We shall see. Bryson DeChambeau feels it’s warm enough to be wearing short sleeves although he’ll be a bit under the collar now after a double bogey at 4 drops him to +2.
… and with that, I’ll hand over to our man in situ, David Tindall. Enjoy the rest of the first round; I’ll see you again early in the morning.
-4: JS Olesen (F), Li (F), Fitzpatrick (F)
-3: Jordan (F), Scheffler (F)
-2: N Hojgaard (F), Westwood (F), Kaewkanjana (13), Kawamoto (13), Garcia (10), Hidalgo (8), Bezuidenhout (6), Rai (6), McNealy (5), Hovland (3)
Scheffler shoots 68; Lowry 70
Scottie Scheffler is this close to ending his round with three consecutive birdies. Inches wide with a 30-foot putt on 18. But he’s signing for a very welcome opening round of 68, and if he can sort his driver out on the range later – with a driving accuracy of 21.4 percent today, the world number one is ranked 135th in that category – he’ll be pretty much unstoppable this week. He’s -3, a couple of strokes ahead of the home hero Shane Lowry, who pars the last for a 70. Wild scenes he walked up the 18th again, by the way. Not quite the level of Sunday in 2019, how could it be? But it was something, nonetheless.
Bob MacIntyre makes his first birdie of the week, fair rattling in a 12-foot putt on 3. Meanwhile it’s a one-under round of 70 for Jon Rahm, and a level-par opening round of 71 for the defending champion Xander Schauffele. A few players making good while the sun shines, which it’s doing at the moment. Rain incoming according to the forecast, though, with the possibility of a few dangerous thunderclaps. Fingers crossed the latter doesn’t materialise.
McIlroy isn’t taking any chances from the thick rough down the left of 2. He lays up. Then from 115 yards he screws his approach to a halt 15 feet from the pin. A big birdie putt coming up. Make it, and he would change the mood around this match, with the gallery a little bit muted after his equally subdued start. And in it goes! Pretty much straight into the hole when plenty of players have been missing wide right, some local knowledge to the fore, right there. The gallery erupts and he’s back to level par quicksmart.
A couple of big putts dropping. Viktor Hovland rakes one in across 2 for eagle, and he’s -2 in short order. Meanwhile Shane Lowry rolls in a 20-footer across 18, and that’s his first birdie since the 6th. Back into credit for the first time since the turn, too. He’s -1 again, and his people have something to roar about again.
Better news for the world number one. Scottie Scheffler pings his tee shot at the 205-yard par-three 16th to three-and-a-half feet. In goes the birdie putt. Then he very nearly holes out from 111 yards at 17 for eagle. After a slightly shaky few holes, he takes a gentle press on the pedal and he’s suddenly hitting top gear. Such a class act. Back-to-back birdies, and now look!
-4: JS Olesen (F), Li (F), Fitzpatrick (F)
-3: Jordan (F), Scheffler (17)
Back on the 2nd tee, Rory McIlroy’s sketchy start continues as he flays his drive towards trouble down the left. The gallery following him is ludicrously large, almost of Tigeresque proportions. Given how he spoke of the pressure he felt in 2019, you have to wonder how much the well-intentioned onlookers are helping their hero.
Not sure the rolling, unpredictable links of the Open Championship is Bryson DeChambeau’s natural habitat. He chips up from the bottom of a swale at the front of 2 … and watches as his ball topple back down another to the side of the green. He’s suffered worse in the past at Augusta National, I guess. And he does extremely well to get up and down to scramble his par. He remains at level.
Rory showcases exquisite touch to roll a 70-footer up and over the ridge across the 1st green, swinging right to left to three feet. Then he nervously tugs the par putt wide left. Never dropping from the moment it left the face of his putter. He makes the one coming back, and the best that can be said for that is that careless bogey is better than hope-shattering quadruple. He’s probably happy that hole’s out of the road, and he can get on with business now. A gettable par-five next, so all’s not lost.
… so having given Sergio the big build-up after three birdies on the bounce, he immediately drops a stroke at 8. Oh Sergio. A nostalgia blast for long-time readers: SERGIO’S MELTDOWN-O-METER READING: B.
Rory’s ball is sat deep in the rough down the right. So he does extremely well to power his second onto the front of the green. He’s left with a long two-putt for par up and over a ridge, the route to the hole possibly incorporating the fringe to the right, but he’ll have taken that outcome upon finding where his tee shot ended up. In the group ahead, Viktor Hovland opened with par, but Ludvig Åberg and Jordan Spieth both made bogey.
Heeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrreeeeeee’s Rory!
… and heeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrreeeeeee’s how he ran up a quadruple-bogey eight the last time he began an Open Championship on his home course. They’re goodness knows how many people deep in the gallery as he makes his way to the first tee. He’s announced by official starter Ed McMahon David Lancaster: “From the tee, from Northern Ireland, Rory McIlroy.” Bedlam, bedlam, bedlam. Then finally the moment they’ve all been waiting for. Back in 2019, Rory sent his opening shot out of bounds down the left. This time he heads left too, but only into the rough. Not ideal, but given what happened last time, he’ll take it. A laugh and a smile with his caddie. He’s going round today with Justin Thomas and Tommy Fleetwood, who both find the fairway. Off they trot. Another colourful chapter of the McIlroy story coming up, one way or another.
Matt Fitzpatrick in with 67
Par up the last for the 2022 US Open champion. Three birdies, one eagle, one bogey, and that’s a wonderful opening round. He walks off a very happy man, finishing the day at -4, currently sharing both clubhouse and actual lead with Jacob Skov Olesen and Haotong Li.
… and while we’re on the subject of players who came agonisingly close to US Open glory last month, here’s runner-up Bob MacIntyre at the back of 1. He can’t make his snaky 25-foot from over a hump, but he’s happy enough to tap in for an opening par. And behind him, third-placed Viktor Hovland, who creams his first shot of the event down the middle.
While we’re on the subject of hot-headed but loveable stars, here comes Tyrrell Hatton. He sets himself up with a 14-foot birdie chance on 1, but can’t make it. The 33-year-old from High Wycombe came agonisingly close to US Open glory last month; could this finally be his time?
It’s three birdies in a row for Sergio Garcia! He creams a fairway wood into the heart of the par-five 7th, utilising the camber to the left of the green to gather his ball holeward. He doesn’t give his very good eagle opportunity a chance of dropping, leaving the 17-foot putt two feet short, but he makes what’s left and moves to -3 in short order. Already I’m worrying that he’ll shoot 63 today followed by an 80 tomorrow. I can’t help it, it’s ingrained now. Dearest long-suffering readers of our live golf blogs, I might dig out the old Sergio Meltdown-o-Meter. We might need it.
Shane Lowry pulls a poor ten-foot par putt on 13. He nearly repairs the damage of that bogey on 14, but his 55-foot putt from the bottom of a swale to the side of the green stops a couple of turns short. A good par save nonetheless, and he remains at level par.
We mentioned Sergio’s near-miss at Hoylake in 2014. That year was the closest Rickie Fowler came; he finished in a tie for second with Garcia. Such a shame Fowler’s never come good on his early major-championship promise – though he does have the unofficial fifth major, the Players, on his resumé. Still, at 36, the Californian has time, and there’d be no more popular winner. Well, OK, Rory, Shane, Tom McKibbin, but you get the general point. Anyway, Fowler has started well, and now birdies 7. That’s three birdies in four holes, and he’s -2 for his round so far.
Matt Fitzpatrick slam-dunks from the bottom of a rough-strewn swale to the side of the par-three 16th! Like a bizarro, inverted version of Mark Calcavecchia from atop a heavily grown bank at Troon’s 12th in 1989. Calc went on to win that year; now will that augur well for the 2022 US Open champion this week? A few more holes to go, admittedly, seeing the American performed his ball-disappearing magic trick on the Sunday.
-4: JS Olesen (F), Li (F), Fitzpatrick (16)
-3: Jordan (F), Kaewkanjana (8)
-2: N Højgaard (F), Westwood (F), Kawamoto (8), Svensson (7), Fowler (7), Garcia (6)
Matthew Jordan pars the last and signs for a fine opening round of 68. He’s delighted to get back home, because he had some scrambling to do along the final stretch as conditions got a wee bit trickier. With some more unpleasant weather forecast – rain, and perhaps thunder, though fingers crossed – he won’t be too far from the top by the end of the day.
-4: JS Olesen (F), Li (F)
-3: Jordan (F), Fitzpatrick (15), Kaewkanjana (8)
Who’s this? Why, it’s our old pal Sergio Garcia! Well now. Sergio has had his heart broken once or twice at the Open, most notably at Hoylake in 2014, when his bid crumbled to sand in a bunker at 15, and at Carnoustie in 2007, when he led after the first three rounds only to bogey the 72nd and lose to Padraig Harrington in a play-off. Probably shouldn’t have tempted fate by dressing as Ronald McDonald, the world’s most famous clown, on the Saturday that year. Anyway, he’s in much more demure black with red flashes today … and he’s just followed up birdie at the short par-four 5th with another at 6, after sending his tee shot to nine feet and tidying up. He’s -2 and … he couldn’t, could he? Well, at 45 years of age, the odds are against, though the Open does love a fortysomething winner, even in recent years – Darren Clarke, Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson – so let’s not rule anything out. And let’s say it for old times’ sake: come on Sergio!
It’s not quite happening for the defending champion Xander Schauffele. Out in 35, but he drops a stroke at 11 to slip back to level par, and now he’s drawn his tee shot at the par-three 13th towards the back-left of the green. Not far from the flag … but it rolls one foot too far, and topples away down a swale. The small margins. He’ll have a job on to get up and down from there to stay where he is.
Another staunch par save by Matthew Jordan! He’s short and right of 17, and though he uses the slopes and ridges to guide his chip up the bank before slinging hard to the left and closer to the flag, he’s still left with a 15-footer for his par. But in it goes! Those back-to-back scrambles are priceless, and now he just needs par up the last to sign for an opening round of 68.
Scottie Scheffler could only punch out from the thick stuff down the side of 11. A mini-calamity that led to bogey. Now he sends his tee shot at 12 into a bunker. He’s not in total control of the big stick right now. Struggling with his game a bit … and yet still -1 at the Open. Everything in context.
Shane Lowry rakes in a momentum-saving 25-footer on 11 to save his par. A guttural roar as the gutta disappears into the cup. The 2019 champion – the reigning Portrush champion, which is the angle both player and crowd will be looking at it from – remains at -1. He’s joined there by the major-championship nearly man Rickie Fowler; the popular Californian cards back-to-back birdies at 4 and 5, a fine response to dropping a stroke at 3. Meanwhile back to Ireland, and some admin: Darren Clarke finished with par and a 75. He’ll have work to do if he’s to make the weekend, but if he does go on to miss the cut, at least he’ll not be walking off with lava pouring out of his ears like he did last time round.
Matthew Jordan knows his way around a links all right. The 29-year-old from the Wirrall finished in a tie for 10th on his home patch at Hoylake in 2023, then repeated the feat exactly at Troon last year. He’s going well again this time round too, and the escapes are as impressive as the birdies: he follows up the aforementioned birdie at 15 by getting up and down from a swale at the front of the long par-three 16th to save par. He’s -3.
A par for Lee Westwood on 18. The 52-year-old veteran from Worksop signs for a fine opening round of 69. He’ll fancy his chances of keeping this going, too, having finished in a tie for fourth here six years ago.
Jon Rahm so nearly scrambles his par on 11. Having been forced to chip out from the thick rough, his approach flies to the back of the green, and he’s left with a long snaking putt from 40 feet for his par. He’s a dimple away from making it. He taps in, and that’s back-to-back bogeys that bring him back down to level par, but at least he’s simmered down now, and instead of walking off frowning, smiles wryly at his caddie and shares a joke in the gallows-humour style.
Scottie Scheffler dropped his first stroke of the day at 9, turning in 35. The world number one picks it back up immediately at 10. He’s -2 again and despite this week’s earlier exercises in existential philosophy has a determined look on his face. Those features turn to irritation as he pushes his tee shot at 11 into trouble down the right. It is raining quite hard, too, which might also be impacting on his mood.
Jon Rahm’s first mini-meltdown of the week. He sends his tee shot at 11 into the rough down the right. He turns to shoot daggers at the gallers. “Whistling three times … right on my backswing.” On Sky Sports, Nick Faldo’s observation is tinder-dry: “I thought he was used to all the music and clatter they have on his tour.” Rahm isn’t in Koepka Kountry, but he is forced to chip back out onto the fairway. He’s now chasing the par that would keep him at -1.
There’s plenty of English representation at the top of the early leaderboard. Matthew Jordan birdies 15 while Matt Fitzpatrick picks up a shot at 13; they’re both a shot off the lead at -3. Lee Westwood meanwhile nearly slam-dunks into a bunker guarding the front of 17, but his slightly pulled approach squeaks over the trap and he’s able to get down in two without too much fuss to save his par. He remains at -2.
Brooks Koepka breathes again. Albeit in reedy fashion. He finds the first ball within the allowed three-minute search, though he’s still got to take an unplayable, dropping in the native area. He can’t reach the green with his next shot, and isn’t able to get close with his chip up. He gives his 30-foot bogey putt a good go, but that’s a double. It could have been a lot worse, because for a brief moment back there, he could have been trudging back to the tee to hit his fifth. In fact that’s quite a result, all told. He’s +3.
Padraig Harrington and Nicolai Højgaard have already lost a ball today. Now it’s being reported that Brooks Koepka might have lost two. He’s carved his tee shot at 11 into the bush that did for Højgaard a few hours ago … then sent his provisional into the same place! Oh my. Brooks Koepka is a five-time major champion. Golf is hard. Links golf is even harder. This is a glorious fiasco.
Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana has only played at the Open once before. But he made a pretty good fist of it. While Cameron Smith, Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young were duking it out for the big prize on the Sunday at St Andrews in 2022, hogging the limelight, Kaewkanjana was busy carding a final round of 65 en route to an 11th-place finish. He’s in form on the Asian Tour, tying for second at the Philippine Open and winning the Kolon Korea, and that’s translating well to Portrush, where he’s birdied 2 and then eagled the short par-four 5th. He’s now -3 through 6, just the one shot off the lead.
Li shoots 67
Thanks David, enjoy your cup of Nambarrie. Also deserving of a hot drop: Haotong Li. The 2017 runner-up to the runner-up follows up birdie at 17 with a no-nonsense par at 18. He signs for a blemish-free 67, some feat on this course and (latterly) these conditions. He joins Jacob Skov Olesen in a tie for the clubhouse – and the actual – lead.
-4: JS Olesen (F), Li (F)
One of the roars of the day as Northern Ireland’s finest, Darren Clarke, climbs a greenside bank and holes a chip from thick hay at 17. Have some of that. It takes the 2011 Open winner back to +4.
And on that positive, I’ll end my waffling and hand you back to the king of description, Mr Scott Murray. I’m off outside to… nah, it’s still raining heavily, I’ll have a cuppa and stay in the media tent for a bit.
A couple of lines from Phil Mickelson. The 2013 Open winner, now 55, shot a fine 1-under 70 earlier. To give that context, he’s missed the cut in all three majors this year and his Open form starting with an early exit here in 2019 reads MC-MC-MC-MC-60.
We had a pretty good break before the rain came in. It came in just the last couple holes. Our group had a pretty good break, I thought.
I really enjoyed it. I played really well, and I had an opportunity. Like I really enjoy playing these conditions and playing this tournament. It’s just a lot of fun.
I think winning The Open in 2013 was the greatest accomplishment in my career because I had to learn a style of golf that I didn’t grow up playing. It’s kind of the greatest source of pride for me as a player to overcome those obstacles. Now I’ve come to really love it, enjoy it, and I seem to play well in some of the adverse conditions too.
Lowry, at the 8th, has a 25-foot right-to-left breaker to hit -3 but it lacks the necessary zest and turns left before intended. Lowry opened with a 67 when winning at Portush in 2019. He’s on track to match that again.
Tommy Fleetwood, the runner-up to Lowry six years ago, tees off at 3.10pm today so can still put his feet up for a while and perhaps enjoy a Full English/leaderboard swish/dance to Kung Fu Fighting.
Musical head now on, let’s talk about The Lurkers. Not the British punk band on Beggars Banquet but, in this context, the trio of names creeping up the day one leaderboard. They need no introduction, Jon Rahm, Shane Lowry and Scottie Scheffler. That trio of major winners are -2 after 8, 7 and 7 holes respectively. They’re tied fifth and just two off the pace.
Matthew Jordan was supposed to the one-hit wonder, local lad done good story at his home course Hoylake in the 2023 Open. The unheralded Englishman delighted the Royal Liverpool crowds to finish 10th. What a week. And yet at Troon a year later he shook off any comparisons with Babybird, The Knack and Carl Douglas by finishing tied 10th again. And, blow me down, he’s at it again. Jordan, the World No. 152, has just birdied 10, 11 and 12 and is the joint-leader alongside Olesen and Westwood.
Some words, plenty of them as always, from the very chatty Padraig Harrington. This is just one question’s worth, his response to hitting the tournament’s opening tee shot. A reminder that he finished with a 4-over 75.
I hyped up the tee shot as much as I could so when I got there today, it wasn’t too bad. I was decently comfortable when I got on the tee. Obviously didn’t try for too much, hit a nice smooth 3-iron down there, held the pose a little bit.
I got a little emotional when I was clapped on, and then I calmed down, and I was kind of fine when I was hitting it. Obviously after that, I don’t know through the start maybe there was a little bit of hype in it, the three-putting 3 and 4, I just struggled. Three three-putts in the first seven holes, it just kills you when you’re always thinking about your pace as you’re standing over the ball, you’re always questioning your lines.
Yeah, it was a tough day on the greens, and it just ate into my game. Might have been a little bit of the fact that I was hyped up for the 1st tee box. Who knows? Certainly felt like I played better, could have played better, should have played better, scored better.
I don’t feel like there’s anything wrong with my putting, and I had a horrible day on the greens. It’s one of those things that’s the nature of the game, links golf. I’d love to be — yeah, I’d love to be a bit better, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying.