Scottie Scheffler settled, settled and settled until he surged through the finish line of his opening 18 holes at the 2025 Open Championship. Signing for a first-round 68 to position himself one shot behind the early co-leaders of Matt Fitzpatrick,

Another bogey-free round belonged to 44-year-old Justin Rose, in the group at 69 that included 52-year-old Lee Westwood, former Open champion Brian Harman and Lucas Glover, who was tied for the lead until a pair of bogeys early on the back nine.

By the time play finally ended on Thursday night, there were five players tied for the lead at 4-under. Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler, thanks to a very solid 68 in the early wave, is just a shot back. Rory McIlroy climbed into contention briefly, but three bogeys on his back nine dropped him to 1-under — so he still has some work to do.

Matt Fitzpatrick was among five co-leaders through Thursday's first round of the 2025 British Open, while No. 1 Scottie Scheffler lurks at Royal Portrush.

The second round of The Open begins on Friday with home favourite Rory McIlroy out early and right in contention to win a second Claret Jug at Royal Portrush. McIlroy carded a first round of 70 to sit at -1 and just one shot back,

Honesty always has been in Scottie Scheffler's bag, as the headlines before the start of The Open underscored, and he was wringing truth once more Thursday after firing a 3-under par at Royal Portrush.

Golf expert Sia Nejad has revealed his Open Championship 2025 picks and PGA best bets for Royal Portrush, beginning Thursday, July 17

Another major championship means another opportunity for Scottie Scheffler, but success at the Open Championship and golf in general isn’t what fulfills the American.