British Open Championship 2025 updates: It's a five-way tie for the 18-hole lead

Yahoo

18-07-2025

The final men's major of the season is here. It's the 2025 British Open Championship, where 156 of the world's best players are tackling Royal Portrush in hopes of capturing the coveted Claret Jug and being named Champion Golfer of the Year.
The stacked major field includes defending champion Xander Schauffele, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, No. 2 Rory McIlroy, who will look to create some magic in his home country of Northern Ireland, and Shane Lowry, who won this event the last time Portrush hosted it in 2019.
Keep up with all the action across the pond with updates, scores, highlights and more from the first round.
British Open Championship 2025 leaderboard, scores
See every score being carded with our 2025 British Open Championship leaderboard from USA Today Sports. Here's what it looked like at the top as of 4:24 p.m. ET:
Pos
Player
Score
Hole
T1
Jacob Skov Olesen
-4
F
T1
Haotong Li
-4
F
T1
Matt Fitzpatrick
-4
F
T1
Christiaan Bezuidenhout
-4
F
T1
Harris English
-4
F
It's a five-way tie for the lead at 2025 British Open
Harris English parred the last to secure a five-way tie atop the leaderboard at Royal Portrush.
A shot back is a group of four golfers at 3 under including Scottie Scheffler. There are 10 players tied for 10th at 2 under including Rickie Fowler, Brian Harman and Justin Rose.
Bryson DeChambeau posts worst score at a major in his career
Bryson DeChambeau had an eventful day Thursday, whiffing on a ball and taking a double bogey on the fourth hole. He would later bogey the ninth, double the 13th and bogey the 17th and 18th to post a birdie-free, 7-over 78.
It's his highest score ever in a major. He was 11 shots off the lead walking off the last.
Slow play becoming a talking point at the 2025 British Open Championship
Social media is beginning to rumble with complaints about the pace of play in the first round of the 2025 British Open Championship.
For example, at 3 p.m. ET, Rory McIlroy's group had taken 4 hours and 50 minutes to play just 14 holes. It was a point of discussion in the early stages of the round and has seemingly gotten worse as the day as gone on.
"It felt like we were on the golf course for about 12 hours," said LIV Golf's Marc Leishman in his post-round media conference. Leishman shot 2-over 73 Thursday. "We'd been on the course for three hours through eight holes, so that was tough to deal with."
Harris English takes solo lead at 2025 British Open
Calling the Dawgs!
Former Georgia Bulldog Harris English, who's been putting together a stellar season in 2025, took the solo lead at the Open Championship just after 2:30 p.m. ET.
English is 5 under through 12 holes, having made a whopping seven birdies already, offset by a pair of bogeys on Nos. 5 and 9.
Here's the putt he drained to make birdie on No. 11. He went on to birdie the 12th, too.
The 35-year-old from Valdosta, Georgia, is a five-time winner on the PGA Tour, including one this year. He was victorious at the Farmers Insurance Open in January. Still, he's seeking his first major championship title, and he's off to a great start at Royal Portrush.
Rory McIlroy makes birdie on No. 10 to get within one shot of the lead
The massive group of fans following World No. 2 Rory McIlroy are already fired up, but if he stays in contention throughout the weekend, Royal Portrush is going to become a zoo. So far, that's looking like a strong possibility.
McIlroy, who's looking to capture his sixth major title in his home nation of Northern Ireland, shot 2-under 34 on the front nine before sinking this putt for birdie at the 10th just before 1:30 p.m. ET, joining a seven-way tie at 3 under, which includes World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.
Three more join a tie at the top as the leaderboard bunches up at the British Open
Chrstiaan Bezuidenhout, Harris English and Lucas Glover joined what is now a six-way tie for the lead at 4 under as of 1:05 p.m. ET on Thursday.
Bezuidenhout shot 33 on the front nine before making bogey on the 11th, but followed it up with an eagle on the par-5 12th to grab a share of the lead.
English, meanwhile, made just one par in his first seven holes, which featured five birdies and a bogey. Glover started hot out of the gate, making birdie on No. 1 and eagle on the par-5 second to rocket up the leaderboard right away.
Rory McIlroy throws a dart, makes birdie to get within 2 shots of the lead
The fan-favorite is heating up.
A massive gallery is following McIlroy as he makes his way around Royal Portrush. He's looking to capture his sixth major championship title in his home country of Northern Ireland. A bogey on No. 1 set him back, but Rory has since made three birdies, including one at the par-5 seventh, which was made possible by this beauty of a shot.
As of 12:30 p.m. ET, McIlroy is 2 under through seven holes, two shots off the lead shared by Matt Fitzpatrick, Haotong Li and Jacob Skov Olesen.
Afternoon scores trending lower as 9 players sit in a tie for 2nd at the British Open
There are several players who are working on some potentially low rounds at Royal Portrush just after 12:15 p.m. ET on Thursday.
Aaron Rai fired a 33 going out and at one point grabbed a share of the lead before a bogey on No. 9 set him back.
He is currently part of a 9-way tie for second at 3 under, and six of those nine players are still on the golf course, including Rai, Christiaan Bezuidenhout (thru 10), Tyrell Hatton (thru 8), Maverick McNealy (thru 8), Harris English (thru 6) and Lucas Glover (thru 5).
Scottie Scheffler, Sadom Kaewkanjana and Matthew Jordan are in at 3 under.
Bryson DeChambeau whiffs on a shot from the long grass at Royal Portrush
Bryson DeChambeau ran into some big trouble on the par-4 fourth at Royal Portrush, where he completely whiffed on his third shot from the long rough. As of 12:10 p.m. ET, DeChambeau was 2 over through 6 holes in his opening round.
Scottie Scheffler is one shot off the lead at the 2025 British Open Championship
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler fired a 3-under 68 in the first round to finish within one shot of a three-way tie at the top just before 11 a.m. on the east coast.
Scheffler caught fire on his way in, making back-to-back birdies on Nos. 16 and 17, setting himself up to contend for the rest of the week as he seeks the fourth major title of his career. The two-time Masters champ won the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow earlier this year.
Scheffler — who made headlines on Tuesday when he offered deep insight into his life as the best player on the planet — entered as a significant betting favorite to hoist the Claret Jug and he's off to a good start at Royal Portrush. In fact, Data Golf already has Scheffler tabbed as having a 24 percent chance of winning the tournament as of 11 a.m. ET.
A Buddhist monk is contending at the British Open Championship
If you woke up on Thursday morning and wondered who the Thai golfer was near the top of the 2025 British Open leaderboard, you weren't alone.
But there are some amazing facts about Sadom Kaewkanjana, an ordained Buddhist monk, started off the first round at Royal Portrush with some low numbers. Click here to read more about him.
Rory McIlroy tees off in first round of 2025 British Open Championship
The hometown darling has arrived.
Rory McIlroy hit his first tee shot of the 2025 British Open Championship just after 10 a.m. ET, marking the official start of his quest for a sixth major championship and the first in his home nation of Northern Ireland. He's been dealing with maximum fanfare all week, but he's embracing it.
McIlroy, who won the Masters in April to complete the Career Grand Slam, looks to capture his second British Open title. His first came at Royal Liverpool in 2014. McIlroy missed the cut last time the event was held at Royal Portrush in 2019, which saw Irishman Shane Lowry emerge victorious.
Matt Fitzpatrick cards 67 to join tie for clubhouse lead
Matt Fitzpatrick is on the board with a stellar round on Thursday at the 2025 British Open.
The Englishman made one bogey, three birdies and an eagle, which came on the par-5 second hole. He had a highlight-reel hole-out for birdie on the par-3 16th, which got him to 4 under.
Fitzpatrick made par on the final two holes to close out a solid 4-under 67, putting him in contention after 18 holes as he seeks the second major championship of his career. He won the 2022 U.S. Open at Brookline.
Jon Rahm rebukes fan for whistling in his backswing
Quiet, please!
Daniel Brown holes insane chip to make birdie
Check out this one from England's Daniel Brown. He holed out from off the green on No. 6 for his second straight birdie to get back to even par for the day.
Heavy rain falling at Royal Portrush as play continues in the first round of the British Open
It may come as no surprise, but rain is falling at the British Open.
A large cell of showers is hanging over the entire northern coast, and radar indicates it's going to be like this for a while. And likely tomorrow. And the next day.
The elements and weather conditions have, for centuries, played a massive role in making golf's oldest major exceedingly challenging, and this week appears to be no exception.
Click here to see the full weather outlook for this week at Royal Portrush.
Jacob Skov Olesen, Haotong Li lead at 2025 British Open Championship
One of the beautiful elements of major championships, especially the British Open, is the wide variety of players who get to compete. You probably hadn't heard of Jacob Skov Olesen before you woke up and checked the leaderboard, but here he is, sharing the lead with Haotong Li as of 8:20 a.m. ET.
Olesen made an eagle on the par-5 12th and chipped in for birdie on No. 15 before stumbling on the 18th with a bogey. Still, it was good enough for a 4-under 67 which puts him in prime position to make the cut. Read more about Olesen here.
Meanwhile, Li carded the same score, 67, in much different fashion. Li had four birdies and 14 pars. About as clean as it gets. We haven't heard from Li in a while, but you might remember him from his solid run of major tournament performances several years ago.
Li finished in solo third at the 2017 Open Championship, which saw Jordan Spieth win at Royal Birkdale, and he also has top 20 finishes at both the PGA Championship (2020) and the U.S. Open (2018).
Hot-tub Time Machine at Portrush
It's early but Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood are partying like its 1999 at Royal Portrush. The two old guys are leading the way at the 153rd Open at 2 under.
Mickelson, 55, went out in 34, making both of his birdies at the par 5s — Nos. 2 and 7 — and a wild hole-out par (as detailed below) at the third.
Westwood, 52, had to go through qualifying but he's back for his 90th major and 28th Open, three years on from his last appearance. He's making the most of his opportunity. He birdied the second and sixth holes to tie Mickelson.
Weather forecast
As weatherman Al Roker would say, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods — if you happen to be attending the 153rd Open at Royal Portrush.
Bright early on before the clouds move in. Mainly dry in the morning with a chance of heavier showers as the day goes on, with potential for thunder. The risk of rain should gradually ease later in the evening. Winds changeable with potential gusts of up to 25-35mph.
Indeed, the sun is popping through the clouds this morning in County Antrim and it's a very comfortable 61 degrees, which has the likes of Padraig Harrington donning shirtsleeves.
Mickelson magic
What will Phil Mickelson do next? How about one of the most Phil Mickelson-esque pars we've seen in a long time. First, old Lefty left his bunker shot at the par-4 third hole in one of Portrush's fearsome bunkers. Could a big number be in the offing? Not so fast my friends. Mickelson, the 2013 Open champion, still is an artist with the wedges. And on his second attempt in the bunker was perfection. Just another routine par for Mickelson.
And they're off...
Irishman Padraig Harrington had the honor of hitting the first tee shot of the 153rd British Open at 6:35 a.m. local time on Thursday, and while the 53-year-old wanted to make it perfectly clear that he doesn't think of himself as a ceremonial golfer, he enjoyed the moment and found the fairway. Harrington knocked his approach from 210 yards to 15 feet and also had the honor of making the 153rd Open's first birdie. Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin, in contrast, had the dubious distinction of making the championship's first bogey.
McKibbin redeemed himself with the first eagle of the championship at the par-5 seventh.
In any event, they are off and threesomes will continue to tee off from the first tee in 11-minute intervals until 4:16 p.m. local time.
British Open Championship 2025 Thursday first round tee times
Click here for the complete list of tee times for Thursday's opening round. Here are some of the notable groups:
All times eastern
4:58 a.m. - Xander Schauffele, Jon Rahm, J.J. Spaun
5:09 a.m. - Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa, Shane Lowry
9:48 a.m. - Robert MacIntyre, Justin Rose, Bryson DeChambeau
9:59 a.m. - Jordan Spieth, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Aberg
10:10 a.m. - Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Thomas
How to watch the first round of the 2025 British Open Championship
Streaming: 1:30 a.m. ET to 4 a.m. ET on Peacock
TV: 4 a.m. ET to 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network
Radio: 2 a.m. ET to end of play on Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio
USA's coverage will also stream on the NBC Sports app. In addition, TheOpen.com official website has featured groups and a channel dedicated to Calamity Corner, the par-3 16th hole.
The R&A also announced this will be the first pro golf event with the Spidercam, which will by flying around the 18th hole all week.
British Open Championship 2025 Thursday first round weather forecast at Royal Portrush
Thursday is projected to be the windiest day of the week, according to forecasters, who are calling for cloudy conditions with winds at 15-25 mph from the southeast. Expect temperatures in the upper 60s and rain showers for most of the day.
Click here for the full weather forecast at Royal Portrush this week.
British Open Championship 2025 betting odds, picks, predictions
Scottie Scheffler enters the 2025 British Open as the favorite to capture his fourth major title. Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm have the next shortest odds.
See more betting odds and check out who the Golfweek staff is picking to win the Claret Jug this year.
British Open Championship 2025 prize money, purse
The 2025 payouts are the same as 2024's, with the winner receiving $3.1 million of the $17 million total purse. See the complete prize money breakdown here.
Who won the British Open Championship in 2024?
World No. 3 Xander Schauffele enters Royal Portrush as the defending champion. He was victorious at Royal Troon in 2024, edging out Justin Rose and Billy Horschel by two strokes.
Other past winners in the field this week include Brian Harman (2023), Cam Smith (2022), Collin Morikawa (2021), Shane Lowry (2019), Jordan Spieth (2017) and Rory McIlroy (2014), among others. There are 16 past champions in all playing in the 2025 Open.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: British Open Championship 2025 first round updates: Five tied for lead