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Patrick Sheehan (Doylestown, Pennsylvania) made an albatross and eight birdies against one bogey en route to 10-under 62 to take the first-round lead at the Commissionaires Ottawa Open presented by Lépine Apartments in Ottawa, Ontario.
Todd Clements of England and Ivan Cantero Gutierrez of Spain each shot 7-under 65 on Thursday at breezy Puntacana Resort to share the first-round lead in the Corales Puntacana Championship.
A hometown hero. The PGA champion. The world No. 3. And not to mention the enduring Justin Rose. On paper, the English have put up a strong cast of contenders at Royal Birkdale this week in a bid to have a first British Open champion since 1992 and a first winner on English soil since Tony Jacklin in 1969. Let’s call it a sluggish start.
Canadian’s impressive first round concluded with a birdie on the 18th hole, leaving him just three shots back of the lead, Bob Weeks writes.
There were no “I’m so bad at golf” exclamations from Rory McIlroy this time. The puzzled looks, shakes of the head and sagging shoulders said it all. McIlroy was just 10 holes into his bid to win the British Open for the first time since 2014 and he was veering dangerously close to playing himself out of title contention.
Jackson Suber got his first taste of links golf — on his first trip to Europe — when he arrived at Royal Birkdale. Three days later, he proved to be a quick study with a superb par save and a 6-foot eagle late in his round for a 5-under 65 to lead the British Open.
The only Argentine golfer in the British Open field was playfully jeered by some spectators on the first tee Thursday, the morning after his national soccer team’s epic comeback win over England at the World Cup. Mateo Pulcini delivered an amusing response a few hours later.
Dan Brown is lighting it up again at the British Open. One of the few smokers in golf, Brown went through “seven or eight” cigarettes during his 4-under 66 that gave him the clubhouse lead midway through the first round at Royal Birkdale on Thursday.
Matthew Baldwin had the honor of hitting the opening tee shot of the British Open at Royal Birkdale, where the Englishman has been a member for 23 years after growing up in the area. It meant needing a 3:30 a.m. alarm.
Canadian Nick Taylor started strong at the Open Championship Thursday, carding a 2-under 68 to put him in contention in the early stages of the tournament.
More than 300,000 fans will attend the British Open at Royal Birkdale this week, making it a record crowd for golf’s oldest major championship. They’ll need to bring sun cream and some manners.
How far the golf ball goes has been debated for the last 20 years and distance is likely to be a big concern this week at Royal Birkdale for the British Open, with one twist.
As a kid growing up in Southport, Tommy Fleetwood regarded Royal Birkdale as virtually off limits — except for those rare occasions he sneaked on to hit some shots while accompanying his father on evening dog walks.
Player conduct on the golf course has long been part of the Rules of Golf. This is the first time all four majors published their code for the players, and there already have been ramifications.
Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are both chasing a second claret jug at the British Open this week. The world’s top two golfers are unmoved about what that would mean for their legacies.
Is Scheffler or McIlroy the favorite? Can an English golfer win on home soil? How will Royal Birkdale play this week? We break down what to watch at the 2026 Open Championship.
Scottie Scheffler is preparing for the 154th Open Championship preceded by a rare weekend off. Scheffler missed the cut at last week's Scottish Open, ending his streak of 78 straight PGA Tour starts in which he made the cut.
Golfers raved about the firm, fast conditions Tuesday at Royal Birkdale, two days before the start of the Open Championship.
Nick Faldo has accused Bryson DeChambeau of having "zero clue of strategy" when it comes to links golf, as the American looks to end an unwanted major streak at Royal Birkdale.
The return to Royal Birkdale at least allows Jordan Spieth to remember how it felt to walk up to the 18th green with victory secure, sitting on the edge of a pot bunker with the claret jug as dozens of photographers captured the image of a 23-year-old often referred to then as “Golden Child.”
The possibility exists that an Englishman becomes “the champion golfer of the year” by winning the British Open at Royal Birkdale. Then, a few hours later, England’s soccer team wins the World Cup.
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