Day 2 underway at Royal Portrush...Live scoreboard... Canadian scores.

 R&A : the 153rd Open Championship.. Leaderboard

*530am est   WEATHER : A small chance of drizzly showers in the morning before heavier downpours arrive late in the afternoon. Wet weather should ease going into the evening leading to a brighter morning on Saturday.

Winds changeable with gusts up to 16mph. High 21*c (70*f)

* Canadians had a tough start to their week. Corey Conners T91 +3 74, Taylor Pendrith T108 +4 75, Nick Taylor T140 +6 77, Mac Hughes T149 +8 79. 

* The top 70 and ties will make the cut on completion of the 2nd round, so all four will need a good Friday. Nick Taylor is out early, the others in the late wave which may well be mostly in the rain.

*6am est   Rory McIlroy delighted the thousands who have arrived at dawn to cheer him on with a birdie 3 at the first, then save a par 5 at the 2nd after having to take an unplayable lie in the rough after his wide right drive. He is -2 early.

* Tommy Fleetwood has made 3 straight pars to move into red numbers at -1.

* Harris English was part of the pack who lead this Open at -4, until he made a birdie at the 2nd to take the lead at -5.

* 645am est  Brian Harman the 2023 winner at Royal Liverpool, played badly at the Scottish Open last week, was a grumpy lefty when he left for Ireland. He has posted 3 birdies and 5 pars to take the Open lead at -5, likely feeling much better..

* 7.17 Rory's card birdie, par, bogey, birdie, bogey, par, par. Just missed a 9 footer for birdie par5 7th. Currently T20 -1

* 7.22  Leaders Brian Harman -4 thru 10 holes, -6 total. Rasmus Hojgaard -4 thru 13 holes, -6 total. 

* Commentators saying weather is fine right now, much better than forecast so far just after lunch GMT, so early wave is catching a weather break so far today.

* 7.35 Another par4 Rory at the 8th, missed 16 footer for birdie, E today -1 total, stuck in neutral this morning so far.

* Cut projected at +2..

* Nick Taylor -1 today thru 7 holes, moves up 15 spots to +5

* 8.15  Brian Harman, lefty 5'7", leads at -7 he is -5 today thru 13. Harman plays links well because although not long, he is straight off the tee, in play.. a good iron player. an excellent putter he plots his way around.

*8.45  Rory par5 12th finally drove it in the fairway 335yd...6 iron to 30feet..eagle chance

*8.52 Rory's eagle ends 6" AWAY, tap in birdie moves to T13 -2, that may get him in gear.

* Robert "Bob" MacIntyre brilliant today -5 on his round, T3 thru 14..

*10.41  The skies finally opened as Rory was standing in 18th fairway. He parred out for -2 69, T12 -3.

* Leader Brian Harman -6 65 for -8 total and clubhouse lead, also in the clubhouse at -5 are Rasmus Hojgaard 68, Robert MacIntyre 66, Tyrrell Hatton 69 and Harris English 70.

* Scheffler is out in the late wave thru 2 holes he is -4.  There is a lot of rain in the forecast as they move into the dinner time hours that may well effect the last 12 holes.

* 1051  Chinese veteran Haotong Li is the co-leader at -8 now thru 10 holes.

More to follow..

Bryan Angus 

Day 1 Leaderboard log jam at Open Championship.. Final results..

 R&A : the Open Championship Tee Times Leaderboard

Jacob Skov Olesen continued his love affair with the island of Ireland as he fired a 67 to sit in a five-way tie for the lead after the first round of The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush Golf Club.

Olesen became Denmark’s first winner of the prestigious Amateur Championship at Ballyliffin Golf Club in nearby County Donegal last summer and has since made encouraging strides after turning professional upon earning his DP World Tour card at Qualifying School in November.

Having come through Final Qualifying at Burnham & Barrow at the start of the month to earn his return to The Open, Olesen gave the locals a reminder of his abilities as he carded an eagle and four birdies.

Things could have been even better for the 26-year-old, who briefly reached -5 to take the outright lead before surrendering a bogey on the last.

That meant he had to settle for a share of the lead on -4 with China’s Haotong Li, Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick, South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout and American Harris English.

World Number One Scottie Scheffler, English pair Matthew Jordan and Tyrrell Hatton and Thailand's Sadom Kaewkanjana sit a shot further back in a tie for sixth.

After making the turn in one under courtesy of birdies at the first and seventh and a bogey on the eighth, Olesen picked up another shot at the tenth, holed a 40-foot eagle putt on the 12th and chipped in for birdie at the 15th but could not save par on the 18th.

Reflecting on last year's experience of winning nearby, Olesen said: "We flew into Dublin actually both times.

"It's obviously a different setting and different everything, but obviously good memories from this island over here."

He said: "I just felt like I did everything well. Just drove it well, approach play was good, and chipped and putted well. It was just an all around good day.

Fitzpatrick carded the lowest opening round of his Major career, mixing an eagle with three birdies and a bogey to sign for a -3 67.

Afternoon starter Bezuidenhout turned in 33 courtesy of a hat-trick of birdies from the fifth before bouncing back from a bogey on the 11th with an eagle at the 12th to join the lead.

After narrowly missing his birdie try at the last and the chance to lead on his own, Bezuidenhout said: "Always great to get off to a good start in a Major and hopefully I can continue the good play over the next few days."

English was another who briefly got to  during his opening round, only for a bogey on the 14th to drop him back to -4

Home favourite Rory McIlroy who only hit 2 fairways, made a battling -1 70 to sit three shots off the lead. 

europeantour.com

Bryan Angus (edit)

Day1underway: 153rd Open Championship..

  R&A : the Open Championship Tee Times Leaderboard

*Play got underway at 6.35am local 1.35am est with Padraig Harrington hitting the opening shot.

* WEATHER : Bright and dry early on, but as of 1030am (local) (5.30am edt) the clouds had moved in, with an occasional shower. Heavier showers are expected this afternoon, with a chance of thunder. The risk of rain will ease later in the evening. Winds changeable with potential gusts 25-35mph.

* Mac Hughes, Corey Conners and Taylor Pendrith are all in play. Nick Taylor (10.21edt) is in the late wave, likely will get the worst of the weather.

* Rory McIIroy is also out late (10.10am edt) with Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Thomas. 

* Scott Scheffler is out early -1 thru 3

* Follow all the scoring, tee times by clicking on my links above.

* more to follow..

Bryan Angus

• Leaderboard

Weather forecast from the R&A for the 153rd Open Championship..

 As always, Mother Nature plays a strong hand in the outcome of the Open. 

There have been weeks like 2003 at Royal St George's, the 132nd Open that American journeyman Ben Curtis won, when the Fire Brigade was on standby in case the burnt out links caught fire, it was so hot.

Then there was 1960 at St. Andrew's when Arnie Palmer having won the Masters and the US Open was vying for the Grand Slam. On the 36 hole Friday final, he posted 70 in the morning to charge within 4 shots of Roberto de Vincenzo, with momentum on his side. 

Then the skies opened, rain so heavy the first and 18th fairways were flooded, and play was washed out until Saturday. He lost by a shot to Kel Nagle, and confirmed in interviews after, "the rain caused me to lose the momentum and the tournament !

This is the official forecast from the R&A office for Royal Portrush this week.

Wednesday : Clouds giving way to sunshine, a warm dry day with gentle breezes. High 22*c

Thursday : Cloudy and dry, but some short lived outbreaks of rain, heavy at times. Intermittently dry throughout the afternoon and evening, but there is a chance of further rain and heavy showers or passing TStorms developing. High 22*c

Friday : A drier and brighter morning likely. Showers may develop through the afternoon and again may be heavy at times with a small chance of thunder. Winds changeable with gusts of 12mph. High 21*c

Rest of the Championship : Remaining changeable with longer periods of rain with the risk of heavier spells especially on Sunday. Winds mainly light this weekend, likely varying in direction.

Bryan Angus

Wednesday at the 153rd Open Championship...Weather/TEE TIMES

 R&A : 153rd Open Championship. Tee Times

The fourth and final men’s Major Championship of the season takes place this week as the world’s best gather at Royal Portrush for The 153rd Open. 

WEATHER :  A dry start to Wednesday with clouds making way to sunshine. A bright warm day with gentle winds. However rain is expected to arrive on Thursday, with heavy showers expected in the afternoon.

Schauffele defends

After spending so long as a Major winner in waiting, last year was a year to remember for Xander Schauffele. With victory at the US PGA Championship and then The Open over a three-month span, he confirmed himself to be a man for the big occasion. A winner of the Genesis Scottish Open in 2022, he proved his game could travel and he adapted to the links challenge that Royal Troon provided 12 months ago expertly. A final-round 65 – which he then later described as the best of his career - saw him triumph by two shots from Justin Rose and Billy Horschel as he emerged from the pack to lift the Claret Jug.

Royal Portrush’s history of big events

Founded in 1888, Royal Portrush has been a home to the game’s great champions and championships. It hosted the country’s first amateur and professional tournaments. Max Faulkner claimed the Claret Jug in 1951, when the club welcomed the first Open Championship to be played outside Scotland and England. Its global profile grew in stature as it held six Senior Opens in a ten-year span, including five in a row from 1995. In 2005, a then 16-year-old Rory McIlroy set a course record over the Dunluce Links with a 61 in the North of Ireland Amateur Championship.

In 2018, the Boys Amateur Championship was played in Ireland for the first time, before Irish eyes were smiling a year later when Shane Lowry claimed victory as The Open made its long-awaited return.  Lowry is feeling confident about his chances as he returns to the scene of his greatest triumph for the Open Championship.

“What I did was very special, and to walk down the 18th hole with a six-shot lead, I'm probably never going to do that again so I'm not going to try and replicate that this week," he said.

“I'm just going to go out and try and play the tournament as well as I can this week.

“I've prepared as well as I can for this tournament. I know I have. Then it's just up to me to stay out of my own way on Thursday morning and go and get after it and see what happens.”

“I think the golf course is perfect right now,” he said after a practice round. “I think it's ready for a great week of golf.

“Trying to judge the scoring will be a little bit difficult, and it's going to play quite tough.

“I think it's a little bit firmer than it was, but we're going to have a little bit of rain over the next few days.

“I don't know if that rain will have a massive effect on the course, depending on how heavy it is. I don't really plan to approach the course any differently.”

“I forgot how well-bunkered the course is. There's a lot of options off tees. You just have to go with what you feel. You're going to see a lot of people hitting different clubs off different tees, playing the golf course differently.”

Record crowds

The appetite for golf in Great Britain & Ireland has never been stronger, with 278,000 fans set to gather at Royal Portrush this week. This will mark a new record for the largest attendance at The Open held outside St Andrews, and surpasses the previous high mark set on the Antrim Coast when 237,750 fans gathered in 2019.The 153rd Open will also be the largest ever sporting event held in Northern Ireland.

Harrington honour

Two-time Open champion Harrington will hit the opening tee shot at this year's tournament. The 53-year-old Irishman, who clinched back-to-back Claret Jugs in 2007 and 2008, will open play early on Thursday morning. 

Harrington beat Sergio Garcia in a play-off at Carnoustie for the first of his victories after starting the final round six shots back, and successfully defended his title at Royal Birkdale 12 months later with a four-shot win over Ian Poulter. 

Harrington, who also held off Garcia to win the 2008 US PGA Championship, missed the cut at the 2019 Open at Royal Portrush. Since then, he has enjoyed great success in seniors golf, winning ten PGA TOUR Champions titles. The latest of those came with his second U.S. Senior Open win last month.

Course guide

Ahead of The Open's return to Portrush in 2019, the Dunluce Links underwent significant changes that began in 2015. Five new greens, eight new tee boxes and 10 new bunkers were created, along with two new holes from land on the club's Valley Course that replaced the old 17th and 18th and become the new seventh and eighth.

 After the widespread acclaim it received then, some refinements have been made but the holes will largely play similarly to how it did in 2019. At 7,381 yards, the course - which features several elevation changes and out of bounds off the tee on several holes - will play 37 yards longer than in 2019.

europeantour.com

Bryan Angus (edit)

the Open Championship: Thursday/Friday TEE TIMES //4 Canadians

 R&A : the Open Championship Tee Times

For the tee time's click on my link above, they are GMT in UK, 5 hours ahead of EST. (eg 6.30am GMT = 1.30am EST)

The weather forecast is spotty with rain at times and intensity all four days, and a decent breeze but not blowin' a hooley as they say in Ireland. I will post the official R&A forecast they work off when they post it. 

Royal Portrush is NW of Belfast in N.I right on the Irish Sea. For all the years during the "troubles" (1970's 80's) the R&A would not take the Open there for everyone's safety as the IRA and Protestant forces were in full sectarian violence mode. It didn't return until Shane Lowry won it in 2019.

Lady Margaret Scott won the British ladies Amateur Championship at Royal Portrush in 1895, Sandy Herd won the Men's. 

Canadians

Group 4   7.08 1st  Taylor Pendrith,  Jason Day, Jacob Olesen

Group 11 8.25  1st  Mac Hughes, Cam Young, Patrick Cantlay

Group 21 10.20 1st  Corey Conners, Clark Wyndham, Tom Hoge

Group 47 15.21 1st  Nick Taylor, Harris English, Tony Finau

Notables

Group 19 9.58   1st  Xander Schauffele, JJ Spawn, Jon Rahm

Group 20 10.09 1st  Shane Lowry, Scott Scheffler, Collin Morikawa

Group 44  14.48 1st  Robert MacIntyre, Justin Rose, Bryson DeChambeau

Group 46  15.10 1st  Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Thomas

**** Paddy Harrington is being honoured to hit the opening tee shot at 6.35am 

Bryan Angus

Wet, breezy week ahead Royal Portrush, the 153rd Open...full story

 DP World/PGA Tours : the 153rd Open Entry List

Mother Nature ! After a week they dubbed the "Scottish Riviera" at North Berwick with stunning sunshine, warm breeze, a burnt out Renaissance Club and Scots with sunburns, can you believe there is nothing but rain, rain and more rain in their forecast all this week !

Talk about Mother Nature smiling on the Scottish Open !

Now that was the good news, but she is not being so kind, as the golfing world makes the short trip over the Irish Sea to Belfast, then up the coast to Royal Portrush for this week's 153rd Open.

There is rain in the forecast Tuesday right through Sunday at various times, with winds 8-27kph.  This according to "The Weather Network"

A field of 156 players are assembling in Northern Ireland for the last of this year's four men's Major Championships.

Chris Gotterup, Nicolai Højgaard and Matti Schmid earned spots via the Genesis Scottish Open, the final event in The Open Qualifying Series.

Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland is one of the world’s leading courses and the only Irish layout to host The Open. The Dunluce Links – one of two Championship courses at the site along with the Valley Course – shares an impressive North Atlantic backdrop with views of Scotland and Donegal.

This marks the third time The Open has been hosted at this renowned coastal links course, following previous staging's in 1951 and 2019, and just the third occasion the championship is contested outside Scotland and England.

Shane Lowry stormed to a six-shot win in 2019

Hometown favourite Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and still world #1 Scottie Scheffler headline a stacked international field looking to win the coveted Claret Jug. Rory set the course record of 61 as a 16 year old in a qualifying round. 

Rory McIlroy was among the first players on site at Royal Portrush on Monday at 7am.

To see the full field list, click here.

Who is the defending champion?

Xander Schauffele won his second Major Championship of 2025 at The 152nd Open as a flawless 65 saw him break free from a congested leaderboard and earn a two-shot victory at Royal Troon.

By doing so, he became the first player to win two Majors in the same season since Brooks Koepka in 2018, and also the third American winner of the Claret Jug in the last four editions.

England's Justin Rose and American Billy Horschel were the nearest challengers after rounds of 67 and 68 respectively, one clear of South Africa's Thriston Lawrence.

As with the other three Major Championships, the tournament is decided over 72-hole stroke play with 18 holes a day over four days, weather permitting.

Each player has one morning and one afternoon tee time over the first two days, in groups of three.

The cut at the Open is made after the second round is fully completed, as the top 70 players and ties go on to face two more rounds.

The final two rounds are generally played in groups of two, with last place going off first and the leaders going out last.

What does the winner receive?

Among the benefits enjoyed by The Open winner are:

• The Claret Jug

• The Gold Medal

• Title of ‘Champion Golfer of the Year’

• Entry to all future Open Championships until the age of 55

• Five-year exemptions to The Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and Players Championship

• Automatic invite to three of the five senior Majors once the player turns 50, with a one-year invitation to the US Senior Open and a lifetime invitation to the Senior PGA Championship and Senior Open Championship

* $3,100,000 US.

The 153rd Open will be televised in 199 countries and territories, enabling golf fans to watch the world’s best players compete for the Claret Jug.

europeantour.com

Bryan Angus