The world’s top-ranked golfer is a shot off the first-round lead on a day with sunlight, rain, breezes and strong gusts at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.

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The course in Southport, about 18 miles north of Liverpool, has hosted the British Open 10 times previously, first in 1954 and most recently in 2017. Peter Thomson won twice there (1954 and 1965), and the list of Open champs at Royal Birkdale includes Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, Padraig Harrington and Jordan Spieth.

After 18 holes at the 2025 British Open, eyes tend to go to to the top of the leaderboard but also the projected cutline.

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.

Rory McIlroy shot 1 under Thursday at Royal Portrush, a better start than the first time he played the British Open at the Northern Ireland course near home.

Give Harris English and his caddie for this week in the Open Championship credit for making the most of a disheartening situation for the five-time PGA Tour winner. The troubles that Harris’ caddie of nine years,

British Open tickets are available on marketplace sites, including StubHub. However, the only official place to buy tickets for golf's final major is TheOpen.com. Fans can sell their unwanted tickets through the official Resale Platform throughout the tournament.

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