HOME HERO: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland made a late birdie for a 70 and was three shots behind. The last time he played the British Open at Royal Portrush, he made an 8 on the first hole, shot 79 and wound up missing the cut.

Five players tied for the lead at 4-under 67, the largest logjam after 18 holes of the British Open since there was a six-way tie in 1938.

Of the 20 LIV golfers in the field at the 2025 British Open, Phil Mickelson turned in perhaps the most surprising first round.

The Open Championship, also referred to as the British Open, teed off on Thursday in Northern Ireland, and the winner will take home more than $3.1 million. But for the dozens of other golfers who don’t finish near the top of the tournament standings, the earnings fall off fast.

Padraig Harrington struck the first tee shot as the 153rd British Open started in cloudy conditions at Royal Portrush on Thursday.

When the Open returned to Royal Portrush in 2019, a great deal of ink was spent explaining why it hadn’t visited Northern Ireland in 68 years.

But this is only its third time hosting the British Open, and the Northern Ireland links is certain to be high on the rotation. The R&A is expecting 278,000 spectators for the week at the British Open,

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Malbon Golf dropped a new collection Thursday morning in collaboration with Bushmills, celebrating Northern Ireland's influence on the game of golf.

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — The British Open at Royal Portrush started Thursday the way the last one ended: A packed grandstand and throaty cheers for an Irish golfer.