The 153rd Open Championship got underway early Thursday morning at Royal Portrush, marking the final major of the 2025 golf season. With a packed leaderboard and storylines unfolding across every fairway, the prestigious tournament returns to Northern Ireland with high expectations.
Defending champion Jon Rahm began his title defense in a featured early group at 4:58 a.m. ET al alongside U.S. Open winner Xander Schauffele and J.J. Spaun. Just minutes later, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler teed off at 5:09 a.m. in a marquee grouping with past Open winners Collin Morikawa and Shane Lowry. Lowry, notably, won the Open the last time it was played at Royal Portrush in 2019.
In the afternoon wave, some of the game’s biggest names took center stage. At 9:48 a.m., Robert MacIntyre, Bryson DeChambeau, and Justin Rose began their campaigns. They were followed closely by the group of Jordan Spieth, Ludvig Åberg, and Viktor Hovland at 9:59 a.m. Rounding out the featured trios was the 10:10 a.m. pairing of Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, and Tommy Fleetwood — a group certain to draw heavy local and international interest.
For McIlroy, the stakes are especially high. With one major already under his belt this year, the Northern Irishman is seeking his second Claret Jug and hopes to claim it on home soil in front of a passionate crowd. With conditions at Portrush proving firm and fast, early play suggested scoring opportunities are there, but so are the risks.
Source: ESPN