The Open: Shane Lowry makes his move in Royal Portrush
We'll bring you updates across the week
Gareth Hanna and Adam McKendry
It's a massive week in Royal Portrush as the 153rd Open Championship takes place.
We will bring you all the action from the course all week as Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry lead the Irish challenge.
3 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
The winds of change
We - and the players, obviously - knew this was going to happen but the wind out there is in the opposite direction to yesterday's subtle breeze. Take the 17th, instance, yesterday the players were bouncing drivers down the slope and to the green - today it's a case of driving to the top of the hill and pitching down. Phil Mickelson did just that to give himself a look for birdie.
Edit: He rolls it! Back under par after his drop shots at 11 and 14.
10 minutes ago
Adam McKendry
Tom McKibbin on his opening 72: 'Rory made that tee shot scarier!'
On his round
" There was a lot of good in there, a little bit of bad. One over, not great but not bad. Overall, not too annoyed, but not that happy either. It was a very up and down day. It was a really difficult start to overcome. I just missed the fairway on one and didn't have a good lie at all. Thought I hit a good shot on three but it came out a little bit short and I hit it down the middle of the fairway on four and was in a divot. So I was like, it's just not going my way. And then I hit a good bunker shot on five and made a birdie there and thought one-over after five isn't too bad. And then I sort of played quite nicely after that. I only struggled on the holes with the wind off the left but besides that it was okay."
What will have him around for the weekend
"It's just important to try and not make big numbers. I think you can certainly get a few unlucky shots out there, it's all about trying to get yourself back in position, try not to be too greedy and go for something that could ultimately make a six or a seven very easily. So when you do go out of position, just try to be patient and stick in there."
On his nerves
"Not too bad, I think Rory's made that (first) tee shot a lot scarier. That's all I could probably think about for the last few days! I wouldn't say I was too nervous, I just didn't really want to hit that bad of a shot. I was very happy to get it underway. It was pretty cool to get out there first, get those nerves or a little bit of unsettlement out of the way early. And to go out with two great players as well was very good."
On the course: "It was tricky. Some of the pin positions are really good, they're just over slopes. I've played here so many times and you would never even think of seeing pins where they are. So it played pretty tricky."
11 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
Birdie for Shane!
Lowry's up to -2 and three back. Lovely roll from 15 feet and his Srixon number '15' ball drops into the middle of the cup on the 193-yard par three sixth. This atmosphere is going to get jacked if he keeps coming up the leaderboard. Also in that group, Scottie Scheffler get a par to stay -1 while Collin Morikawa follows Lowry in for a birdie to get back to level par after his bogey at the first.
15 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
Leader on 18
It's a fairway wood off the 18th tee for our left-handed leader and it's straight down the middle into the fat part of the fairway.
16 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
Guess who?
22 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
How's my early tip doing?
I was telling everybody yesterday how Ryan Fox - with two wins on the PGA Tour this year - was worth a bet. Today? Well he opened up: bogey, par, bogey, bogey, bogey, bogey, so...
Bounce-back birdie at the seventh and the comeback is ON, guys!
26 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
There's no 'I' in 'SCHM D'
Matti Schmid is under par after a two-putt birdie at the par five second. The German has got Northern Ireland's Chris Selfridge on the bag - hopefully he's got his bib malfunction fixed since this photo was taken earlier in the week.
36 minutes ago
Adam McKendry
Disappointing finish
It's a bogey on 18 for McKibbin as he can't hole the putt, so that's a one-over 72 that he will be disappointed with given he was, at one point, -2 and co-leader.
Pádraig for birdie... no, it stays up too. Par will do for him, a four-over 75 and he'll be battling to make the weekend tomorrow.
Nicolai Højgaard tidies up his par too and after a two-under 69, he's your (very!) early clubhouse leader!
39 minutes ago
Adam McKendry
Long putt for par
If McKibbin is to finish with a flourish, he's going to have to hole out from 30 feet or so after hitting sideways out of the bunker and then pushing his approach.
Pádraig has a better look at birdie after a fine shot from the fairway. It wouldn't be great but +3 wouldn't be an awful score in his bid to make the weekend.
39 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
Darren drops back and Shane stays strong
Darren Clarke drops another shot at the 10th after missing the fairway right, so he goes back to +2. Meanwhile, back to back pars for Shane Lowry leave him -1 after four. He hit both greens in regulations but with both putts over 35 feet, no big birdie chances.
42 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
Tough Day just got better for Jason
Jason Day gets his second birdie of the day at the 15th to get back to +2.
45 minutes ago
Adam McKendry
Bunker bound
Tom McKibbin finds one of the cross bunkers off the tee on 18 needing a par to at least finish the day where he started at level-par - I'm not sure he even has a shot to the green from here.
Højgaard is looking for a closing birdie from the middle of the fairway to set an impressive clubhouse lead at -3, Harrington also in the fairway.
46 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
Potential bogey to actual birdie
Well, that's how you lead an Open Championship. Olesen looked like he might make bogey on the par four 15th. He missed the fairway off the tee and so came up short with his approach, but his chip shot trundles up and drops into the hole. Five under par and he's now two clear of Li and Westwood.
The Open on Twitter / X
Chipped in from 23 yards. Jacob Skov Olesen extends his lead with a birdie on 15. pic.twitter.com/KQW8YZe9Qe— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 2025
56 minutes ago
Adam McKendry
Referee on course
That's never a good sign as one sidles up beside me on 17 with this first group. There's no major issue, they've just gotten a little slow so there's a friendly reminder to speed up a bit. Harrington's lost ball on 10 didn't help.
On the green, Højgaard is already guaranteed to make at best a par as he leaves his birdie putt just shy. Here goes McKibbin from around 12 feet for his birdie.
Nope. Up and out of it early. Par and he stays level.
Højgaard also tidies up, as does Harrington after being in the greenside bunker with a nice putt to stay +4.
Today 06:04 AM
Gareth Hanna
Two on the card for Scottie Scheffler
The world number one, gets a two, at hole three.
-1.
Today 06:01 AM
Gareth Hanna
Mickelson at 13
The 55-year-old is now back at one under par after a drop shot at 11 and is on that downhill 199-yard par three. As Adam said earlier, it's hard to hold with the wind behind, as Mickelson's balls bounds just off the back edge. Lengthy look at birdie.
Edit: Just the par and he remains -1.
Today 05:56 AM
Adam McKendry
The crowds are here
Anybody who thought the 6.35am tee time wouldn't have crowds following them all day were badly mistaken. A huge following for Harrington and McKibbin, and I'm sure there's a Dane or two here for Højgaard too.
Speaking of the trio, it's three pars on 16 for them. McKibbin makes a fantastic up and down from the rubbish in front of the green to stay level-par, with the other two two-putting.
Today 05:55 AM
Gareth Hanna
The putt that earned the lead
The Open on Twitter / X
Jacob Skov Olesen moves to four-under with an eagle on 12 to take the lead. pic.twitter.com/LjaBfccHEY— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 2025
Today 05:55 AM
Gareth Hanna
Shane's in blue... but in the red!
Here comes the Offaly man. A fine second shot into the heart of the green from 266 yards at the par five second and a two-putt sees Lowry go to red numbers at -1 early doors.
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