After the opening 18 holes of the 153rd Open Championship, five players are tied for the lead at 4-under. Five or more players being tied for the lead after one round has only happened one other time – in 1938 at Royal St. George’s Golf Club.
Four of the five players tied for first are looking for their first major championship victory. Only Matt Fitzpatrick has won a major, the 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club.
Harris English and Jacob Skov Olesen both reached 5-under par during their rounds. Olesen, who is making his second career start in a major, bogeyed his last hole to drop to 4-under. English took the lead at 5-under with a birdie on the 12th hole but bogeyed the 14th to drop back into a share of the lead. Hao-Tong Li and Christiaan Bezuidenhout are the other two co-leaders.
Behind the leaders by one stroke are four golfers, including Scottie Scheffler. Scheffler hit only three fairways but still managed to make five birdies en route to a round of 68 (-3).
Though Rory McIlroy is one of the favorites heading into the week, we can’t help but remember his viral tee shot the last time The Open was played at Royal Portrush; it went out of bounds and led to a 79 (+8) for the day. This time around, McIlroy opened with a round of 70 (-1) even though he is tied for last in fairways hit with just two.
While speaking with the media after his round, McIlroy said, “I feel the support of an entire country out there.”
Defending champion Xander Schauffele opened the tournament with an even round of 71. Shane Lowry, who won here at Royal Portrush in 2019, shot a 70 (-1) in the opening round.
Former major champions Wyndham Clark (76 [+5]), Patrick Reed (77 [+6]) and Bryson DeChambeau (78 [+7]) all struggled during the first round.
