Live Updates from Open Day One: Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry trail leaders by three shots after first round of play
Welcome to live coverage from the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush, the third Major ever to be hosted on the island of Ireland. The tournament, which began on Thursday, saw a thrilling first round filled with exciting performances and a few surprises.
Defending champion Shane Lowry started off strong, teeing off at 10.09am alongside world number one Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa. Lowry, who sported a blue top instead of his traditional black, made four birdies in a row to get into red figures, finishing his round on -1.
Rory McIlroy, who famously took an 8 here in 2019 en route to missing the cut, struggled with left-drifting drives but managed to stay in contention with a 1-under 70, tying him for 20th place. Meanwhile, the leaderboard is currently led by a five-way tie for first place, with Matt Fitzpatrick, Harris English, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Haotong Li, and Jacob Skov Olesen all recording 4-under 67s. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is one shot back at 3-under, leaving McIlroy three shots behind the leaders.
One of the standout performances of the day came from Tom McKibbin, who recorded a 2-under 69 and made the first eagle of the tournament on the par 5 12th to move to -1. However, a double bogey on the 11th hole saw him drop back to even par.
Another impressive performance came from Jacob Skov Olesen, who moved up to -4 and took the lead with an eagle at the 12th. The Danes were also well-represented by Nicolai Hojgaard, who posted the clubhouse lead with a 2-under 69 in the first group out.
Pádraig Harrington, who hit the opening tee shot, struggled with consistency and dropped to +4 after a double bogey on the 10th. Darren Clarke also had a tough round, finishing with a four-over-par 75.
As conditions are expected to worsen later in the day, it remains to be seen if any of the early leaders can hold onto their positions. Stay tuned for updates as the action continues at Royal Portrush!
[1] [The Open 2025: Tee times, TV details, weather forecast, players to watch](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/61141416) for more information about the event.
- With impressive performances on the course today, both Matt Fitzpatrick and Jacob Skov Olesen are involved in sports-betting discussions, given their positions at the top of the leaderboard.
- As a golf enthusiast, one might find the sports-analysis of the early performances at the 2025 Open Championship, particularly Tom McKibbin's eagle on the par 5 12th and Jacob Skov Olesen's comeback after a double bogey, quite intriguing.
