Rory McIlroy struggles as England’s hopes shine throughout The Open First Round

The opening day of The 154th Open Championship delivered early drama at Royal Birkdale, with American outsider Jackson Suber grabbing the headlines and a host of English contenders giving the home crowd plenty to cheer.

Suber produced a superb five-under-par 65 to take the outright lead after the first round, with England’s Dan Brown and South Korea’s Im Sung-jae one shot back on four under.

Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre was among the chasing pack after an impressive three-under 67, alongside the likes of two-time major champion Bryson DeChambeau and 2018 Open winner Francesco Molinari.

For England, there were plenty of positives as eight players finished the opening day under par, keeping alive hopes of ending a long wait for a home winner.

The last Englishman to life the Claret Jug was Sir Nick Faldo at Muirfield in 1992, while Tony Jacklin’s victory at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 1969 remains the last time an English player won The Open on home soil.

After England’s World Cup hopes ended earlier in the week, attention turned to Royal Birkdale on Thursday, and it was Yorkshireman Brown who gave the home supporters something to celebrate.

The 31-year-old fired a brilliant four-under 66 in the calmer morning conditions, taking advantage of the more favourable weather before the wind picked up later in the day.

Brown, who finished tied for 10th at Royal Troon two years ago, admitted he was pleased with his start but knows the challenge is only beginning.

“It’s only Thursday but hopefully I’m in a sort of similar area on the leaderboard come Sunday,” Brown said.

Nobody wins The Open after the opening 18 holes, but players can certainly put themselves under pressure early, something local favourite Tommy Fleetwood knows all too well.

When Royal Birkdale last hosted the tournament in 2017, Fleetwood began with a six-over 76 and was immediately left playing catch-up.

This time, the Southport-born star made sure history did not repeat itself, battling his way to a one-under 69 to remain firmly in contention heading into the weekend.

Fleetwood received huge support from the galleries throughout his round, with thousands following the 35-year-old around the course he grew up dreaming of playing on.

“Playing an Open at Birkdale is a dream,” Fleetwood said.

“Stepping onto the first tee is a very special experience at an Open in Southport for me. I was pretty nervous, to be honest.”

The emotion of the occasion was clear, but Fleetwood kept his composure when it mattered most.

An early birdie at the fifth sparked the crowd into life, but back-to-back bogeys on the 10th and 12th threatened to derail his round.

Instead, Fleetwood responded brilliantly. A birdie on the newly-built par-three 15th produced one of the biggest cheers of the day before another gain at the 17th ensured he finished under par.

“I scrambled really well. I felt like the crowd really helped me,” Fleetwood said.

“They definitely carried me a little bit through that patch and 15 was a really cool moment. It was nice to get that great finish.”

Fleetwood was one of several Englishmen to impress, with Jordan Smith, Matt Wallace, Laurie Canter, Alex Fitzpatrick, Matthew Southgate and Tyrrell Hatton also finishing below par.

However, it was a tougher opening day for pre-tournament favourite Matt Fitzpatrick, who carded a two-over 72 after struggling in the afternoon conditions.

Justin Rose, another player with strong links to Birkdale after announcing himself on the world stage as a teenage amateur at the course in 1998, also endured a difficult day with a four-over 75.

Aaron Rai, another English contender, battled his way to a level-par 71 after making one birdie, two bogeys and 15 pars.

Suber’s surprise European debut

Suber’s position at the top of the leaderboard came as a surprise to many.

The 26-year-old had never even visited Europe before arriving for The Open, while his previous experience of links golf consisted of just 27 holes played earlier this week at Royal Birkdale.

But he adapted immediately, taking advantage of the early conditions to post the lowest score of the opening round.

Behind him, MacIntyre impressed once again on links terrain, while defending champion Scottie Scheffler also made a strong start.

The world number one was four under through his opening six holes before eventually finishing the day two under, keeping himself within striking distance.

McIlroy left frustrated but confident

Rory McIlroy endured a frustrating opening round as he began his bid for a second major title of the season.

The Masters champion struggled on the greens during a rollercoaster day, mixing four birdies with six bogeys to finish with a two-over 72.

McIlroy’s driving remained a major positive, but his putting proved costly, leaving him seven shots behind leader Suber.

The Northern Irishman’s final-hole birdie offered encouragement, and despite his difficult start, he believes he remains in the tournament.

“[I’m] not too far away,” said McIlroy.

“Hopefully we’ll get the better conditions [on Thursday] and maybe the greens are a little bit smoother in the morning.

“Go out there and shoot a good one and get myself right back in it for the weekend.”

McIlroy knows there is work to do, but he has already shown he can recover from slow starts at major championships.

His opening deficit is the same one he overturned when winning the 2025 Masters to complete the career Grand Slam, although history suggests he will need to improve quickly, with the last 26 Open champions all sitting within five shots of the lead after round one.

Reflecting on his performance, McIlroy admitted mistakes had cost him but remained positive heading into Friday.

“I just made too many stupid mistakes. But every time I made a stupid mistake, thankfully I made a birdie to sort of keep myself in it.”