Thanks to his Masters wins in 2025 and 2026, most people have forgotten about Rory McIlroy’s struggles in major championships over the past decade. Of course they have, since he’s won two of them.
But it’s worth remembering that, outside of the Masters, McIlroy hasn’t won one of golf’s other three majors since 2014. He famously let the 2024 U.S. Open slip away by making three bogeys in the final four holes to lose by one shot to Bryson DeChambeau.
The biggest factor in those bogeys was McIlroy’s inability to convert short putts, including a missed 2 1/2-footer on No. 16 and a miss from inside 4 feet on No. 18.
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Well, those woes came back on Thursday during the first round of the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. He missed putts from inside 4 feet on both No. 7 and No. 8 before adding a miss from just over 4 feet at No. 10.
After missing six putts from inside 12 feet on his first 12 holes, McIlroy drained a 23-footer for birdie on No. 13.
He gave the shot right back with a sloppy bogey on the par-5 14th hole but then drilled a 12-footer on No. 15 for birdie.
Unfortunately, he gave that one back with another sloppy bogey on No. 17, the other par 5 at Royal Birkdale. It’s not often McIlroy plays the par-5s in two-over, but that’s what happened on Thursday. He missed another putt from inside 12 feet on the 17th, bringing the total to eight for the round, before making a closing birdie on No. 18 to finish his roller-coaster round.
Ultimately, McIlroy carded a 2-over 72 and sits seven shots back of the lead after 18 holes. He has his work cut out for him if he plans to make the cut and play the weekend.
Open debutant Jackson Suber dazzles with opening-round 65
Many people might not be familiar with the 26-year-old American, but they should get familiar. Suber, who qualified for The Open by finishing tied for fourth at the RBC Canadian Open, put together the low round of the day at Royal Birkdale and gained over six strokes on the field, according to Data Golf.
He holds a one-shot lead over Daniel Brown and Sungjae Im, who shot matching 66s.
Suber has only competed in two prior majors, missing the cut at this year’s U.S. Open and finishing 73rd in the 2024 U.S. Open. He finds himself in very unfamiliar territory, sleeping on the lead at a major championship.
But he has quietly put together a very strong year on the PGA Tour. Since the start of May, Suber has four top-20 finishes, including a solo fourth at The CJ Cup Byron Nelson, the aforementioned T-4 at the RBC Canadian Open and a T-6 at the John Deere Classic.
Of course, holding the lead in a major is a different kind of pressure. It’ll be interesting to see how Suber handles it.
Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau and other big names in the mix at Royal Birkdale
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler said after his first-round 68 that he thought he played better than his score indicated. That’s bad news for everyone else in Southport this weekend, but it serves as a reminder that Scheffler is still the best golfer on the planet.
Despite shooting two-under par and sitting inside the top 20, Scheffler knows he can score better. He had the hottest start of any player on Thursday, making birdie on four of his first six holes. But he stalled after the torrid start, making two bogeys and no birdies the rest of the way.
Like McIlroy, Scheffler missed some short putts, including a 5-footer on No. 11 and a 4 1/2-footer on No. 17. If the putts start falling again, like they did early in the round, look out for Scheffler.
Bryson DeChambeau finally got some momentum going with his first-round performance. DeChambeau shared the lead until he made a bogey on his final hole. He also played in a group with Scheffler and posted a 3-under 67 to best the world No. 1 by one shot.
DeChambeau hadn’t shot under par in any of his six major rounds in 2026, so it was far and away his best major round of the year. After missing the cut in each of the first three majors this year, DeChambeau finally looks like he’ll have a weekend tee time.
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In the afternoon wave, world No. 4 Cameron Young shot a 67 to join a logjam of nine players currently tied for fourth place.
It’s a fascinating leaderboard at the Open Championship with a mix of some of the world’s best, like Scheffler, DeChambeau, and Young, and some lesser-known players, like Suber, Daniel Brown, Pierceson Coody and Alex Smalley.
That should set golf fans up for an exciting weekend with plenty of storylines and intrigue.
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