Overview
- Jackson Suber, making his Open debut and on his fifth day in Europe, fired a 5‑under 65 on Thursday that included six birdies and an eagle at the par‑5 17th to sit alone atop the leaderboard.
- Defending champion Scottie Scheffler steadied with a two‑under 68 and remains within striking distance after a front‑nine burst left him well positioned despite a quieter back nine.
- Rory McIlroy struggled with the greens and missed short putts, finishing two over 72 and seven shots behind Suber as he looks to use calmer morning conditions to mount a comeback.
- Royal Birkdale’s firm, fast setup and a strengthening afternoon wind created a stark scoring split that left just 24 of 156 players under par after Round 1 and favoured early starters.
- Betting markets moved sharply after the round, with Suber’s price collapsing and attention turning to how changing wind forecasts and morning tee times could reshuffle the leaderboard over the next three rounds.