McIlroy didn't play his best Thursday at Royal Portrush but shot 1-under 70 and is three shots off the 18-hole lead.

Rory McIlroy shot 1-under 70 in the first round of the British Open at Royal Portrush that is also serving as a homecoming for the Northern Irish star.

Rickie Fowler has received a healthy dose of criticism for the allotment of sponsor exemptions he’s received this season. And it is one of those invites that has Fowler in the mix at the Open Championship.

The "Golden Bear" and 18-time major winner won the first of his three Opens and completed the first of his three career grand slams along the southeastern Scottish coast in 1966, then called the par-71 layout "the best golf course in Britain."

The British Open is underway at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. Two-time champion Padraig Harrington of Ireland had the honor of the opening tee shot. Xander Schauffele of the United States is trying to become the first player since Harrington in 2007-08 to win the Open in successive years.

You'll have to forgive Marc Leishman, who has played in just one major championship since the end of 2022. During that three-year span, he clearly forgot that they can be absolute slogs when it comes to pace of play.

Matt Fitzpatrick was asked on camera to rate his opening round at the 153rd British Open on Thursday. He smiled and didn’t have to think long.

But no one could go extremely low. Jacob Skov Olesen, the British Amateur champion last year from Denmark, was the first player to get to 5 under until a bogey at the last. He was joined at 67 by Li Haotong of China, and then Fitzpatrick joined the group with his marvelous chip-in.

Who will win the 153rd Open Championship? Our experts dive into all the twists and turns of the year's final major

The R&A announced this week that the Spidercam be a "world-first for golf" that will bring TV viewers closer to the action that before.