HOME HERO: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland made a late birdie for a 70 and was three shots behind. The last time he played the British Open at Royal Portrush, he made an 8 on the first hole, shot 79 and wound up missing the cut.

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Open Championship returns to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, the site of Shane Lowry's triumph in 2019. As has been the case all year, the strong favorites entering the tournament are Scottie Scheffler (9/2) and Rory McIlroy (7-1).

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.

Spieth entered Portrush with four straight top-25 Open finishes, so there should be plenty of confidence that he turns in a much better round on Friday. Making up a six-shot deficit will be tough, but if Spieth can get to even-par, or even one-under, he'll have a shot to get into the top 10 before the weekend.

Chris Gotterup may have secured his FedEx Cup playoff spot by winning the Genesis Scottish Open, jumping from 88th to 39th in the standings. Scottie Scheffler maintains a substantial lead in the FedEx Cup standings despite Rory McIlroy gaining ground.

The final men's major of the year is here, as the 2025 British Open Championship kicks off Thursday morning at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.

The simplest one is to wager on the in-form golfers, a list led by Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler. McIlroy may get the nod over Scheffler in some circles this week because he's playing on home soil at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.