The Open: Rory McIlroy suffers mid-round wobble as Shane Lowry signs off with a 70 at Royal Portrush
We'll bring you live updates here across the week
Gareth Hanna and Adam McKendry
Today at 02:27
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.
Key updates
Meet the Buddhist monk who's one shot off the lead
Pivotal point in Rory's week already?
The Open Guinness tracker: Where's the cheapest pint in Portrush this week?
Darren Clarke on shooting a 75: 'Maybe I should have spent more time in the Harbour Bar!'
Round one tee times
4 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
Finally somebody hits five
And it's Harris English who breaks clear of that -4 mark to take the solo lead at the Open Championship. After his long-range birdie on 11, he backs it up with four at the 12th. That's the seventh birdie of a round that has featured just two pars. If you want fireworks and to stay away from the Rory madness, hold on for the group behind.
Meanwhile, Christian Bezuidenhout pars his way in from the 12th to join the clubhouse lead at -4. A near miss on the 18th green merited a frustrated putter flip.
4 minutes ago
Adam McKendry
"Go on, go on... OH!"
There's the par McIlroy needed!
It was almost a birdie, an outstanding chip from the hollow behind the green rolling towards the hole and finishing just short of the pin, with the crowd thinking it might drop.
Stops the rot, stays at -1 thru 13. Thomas and Fleetwood also secure pars.
9 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
That bogey of Rory's...
He's the first person to drop a shot at the 12th since Daniel Berger a few hours ago. 24 players had passed in between and successfully managed par or better. Sigh.
9 minutes ago
Adam McKendry
McIlroy misery
Off the clubface he hates his tee shot on the par-three 13th and for good reason as it pitches just beyond the flag and rolls off the back left of the green, where Tommy Fleetwood finds himself too.
Justin Thomas has hit a good one to about 12 feet for birdie but this is all about McIlroy - he needs a par to stop the rot.
The cries of "Grand Slam baby!" as he walks to the green likely aren't helping either.
15 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
Super six becomes fantastic five
Lucas Glover is back out of a tie for the lead after a bogey at 11. The old wayward tee shot + failure to get up and down from off the green combo.
18 minutes ago
Adam McKendry
Bogey
That's a really painful one for Rory. Really painful. He stood on the 11th tee one back of the lead and back to back bogeys, including a three-putt one on a par-five, is a real momentum killer. Back to -1.
The crowd feel it too. There was a deflated feeling all round when that missed.
21 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
Welcome to cut-watch with Bryson
A disaster at the 13th. Hacked out. Poor chip. Missed put. Five. Double.
He's not +5 and in a tie for 132nd.
21 minutes ago
Adam McKendry
Work to do
Rory's monster putt had the line but not the length and he's left himself a seven footer for par to avoid a really painful bogey on not just a par five but the easiest hole on the course. That would be a real momentum killer.
Even worse for Justin Thomas and Tommy Fleetwood as both of their putts loop invitingly towards the hole but halt just a few rolls short of a birdie.
28 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
You don't have to be a lip-reader...
Rory's tee shot on the par five 12th ends up in the bunker, where Tommy Fleetwood joins him. Rory pitches out to follow the three-shot route that has paid dividends for him on par fives today. But wherever it ended up, his one-word summary towards the camera was unmistakeable.
Ah it rolled down the slope into the semi-rough, making the 137-yard approach more difficult than it should be. And it duly ends up a full 73 feet away from the hole. A two-putt will do from there.
29 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
It's not getting any better for Bryson
He's still +3 but he's just blasted his tee shot at the par three 13th into the long stuff.
31 minutes ago
Adam McKendry
Everyone after Rory
Around the 12th green, even though Åberg, Hovland and Spieth are putting, the whispers and phones are all about where Rory has hit his drive in the group behind.
The answer is into the furthest fairway bunker, which is 310 off the tee. That's going to be a lay up on this par five.
32 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
Do you recognise this face?
This is Bo Martin, who was on Shane's bag in 2019. He's with Min Woo Lee this year, who is level par through 13.
52 minutes ago
Adam McKendry
Inches from another new leader
Seriously, by the end of the day we could have about ten guys atop this leaderboard. Tyrrell Hatton almost becomes the latest to reach -4 as he hits the 12th green in two and just runs his putt an inch to the right of the hole, but it's a tap-in birdie and he returns to -3 after having bogeyed the 11th. Not a bad bounceback all things considered.
53 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
Rory's magic may save par
It was a pitch up the middle from that thick lie in the rough and his third-shot approach is superb - from 85 yards to eight feet to save par.
If he gets that home, he goes on to the par five 12th knowing a birdie with tie the lead at The Open Championship at Royal Portrush.
56 minutes ago
Adam McKendry
'I enjoy playing it': Rickie Fowler, who opened with a two-under 69
His round:"Good day other than a couple swings, missed a couple short ones. Other than that, a good solid start. I think that's really all you can ask for on Thursday."
Royal Portrush:"Yeah, I enjoy playing it. I've had success on it back in 2019. It's a tricky golf course, depending on where the wind's at and what kind of weather we have. You have to think your way around it and execute, but also know when you can maybe play on the aggressive side or when you need to kind of play conservative or just stay smart and take what the course gives you."
Today 01:35 PM
Gareth Hanna
The politics of the 11th tee shot
Rory's tee shot at 11 doesn't go to plan as it thuds into the thick stuff. Didn't look like it moved once it whacked in there. Left. Obviously. He's been more left than Jeremy Corbyn today.
Fleetwood's scuttles just to the right of that (but not quite centrist) and into the semi, while JT loops a conservative fade down the centre-right side and just off the fairway.
Today 01:32 PM
Adam McKendry
One back
Here's the putt that got Rory one off the lead.
The Open on Twitter / X
Rory's making a charge.He's one off the lead. pic.twitter.com/ZKs9fOGZor— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 2025
Today 01:31 PM
Gareth Hanna
Quite right, too
Nothing as annoying as when the tour pros hit into the stands and drop it just off the green. The R&A did explain earlier this week that the reason for these is so that there's no risk of guys bailing out into stands on purpose.
Dylan Dethier on Twitter / X
the Open seems to be dialing up its nastiest set of drop zones yet. ohh you want a free drop from the grandstand? for sure man. toss one down in the bushes over there pic.twitter.com/nRaK8RRS0X— Dylan Dethier (@dylan_dethier) July 16, 2025
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