The opening day of the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club was marked by challenging weather conditions, with rain and gusty winds contributing to a protracted first round. Despite these hurdles, a competitive atmosphere emerged, resulting in a five-way tie at the top of the leaderboard, with each golfer posting a score of 4-under-par. The tied players include Harris English, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Jacob Skov Olesen, Haotong Li, and Christian Bezuidenhout.
Rory McIlroy, a local favorite, managed to stay in contention with a 1-under-par score of 70, despite struggling with accuracy off the tee, only hitting two fairways throughout his round. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler follows closely behind, just one stroke off the lead, after a solid 3-under-par 68 where he, too, had difficulties finding the fairways, hitting only three.
Jon Rahm, another top contender and two-time major winner, joined McIlroy at 1-under-par, three strokes away from the leaders, demonstrating that even top-ranked players faced challenges in the opening round.
As the evening progressed, the rain lessened, but the increasing wind conditions prolonged the round, which extended past 9 p.m. local time. The event resumes quickly on Friday, with the second round set to kick off at 1:30 a.m. ET (6:30 a.m. local time), promising further excitement as players continue to navigate the tough conditions.
The resilience shown by the players in the face of challenging weather serves as a testament to their skill and determination, making the championship a thrilling contest to watch as it unfolds.