The 154th Open Championship began at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in 2026 with Scottie Scheffler and Jackson Suber among the early frontrunners following the first round on August 6 [1, 2, 3].
Jackson Suber, making his Open debut, fired the lowest round of the day with a 65, placing him one shot ahead of Daniel Brown and Sungjae Im, who each recorded 66 [3].
World No. 1 and defending Open Champion Scottie Scheffler shot a 2-under 68, tying him for 10th after the early starters [1, 2]. Scheffler started strong, making four birdies in his first six holes. However, he struggled on the back nine, including bogeys at the par-3 seventh and par-5 seventeenth holes [1, 2].
Scheffler described the challenge on the 17th hole, where his ball was buried deep in heavy rough under wire fencing. "I was just shocked at how deep the ball was in that grass... I didn't think I was going to be able to get the ball out of the grass that it was sitting in but was able to get it out," he said [2]. The effort resulted in a bogey on the hole.
"Anytime you can shoot under par to start a major championship, it's a good spot to be in," Scheffler added. "I got off to a hot start in the round today and wasn't able to make as many birdies as I would have hoped to down the stretch." [2]
Rory McIlroy struggled with his short putting throughout the round and closed with a 2-over 72, leaving him seven shots behind the early leaders [3].
After the third round on August 8, Sam Burns took a 10-under par lead with a final-round 65, while Ryan Fox and Si Woo Kim stood close behind at 8 under going into today’s championship conclusion [4].
