Rory McIlroy forgetting how to make putts leads the 2026 Open Championship storylines after round one
Kai Trump discusses D1 golf plans at University of Miami
President Donald Trump’s grandson, Kai Trump, shares his excitement and nervousness about heading to the University of Miami for D1 golf. He discusses spending his final weeks with friends before leaving his close-knit family for the first time. Trump emphasized his readiness for the next academic chapter and his expectations for college life in Miami.
Thanks to his Masters wins in 2025 and 2026, most people have forgotten about Rory McIlroy’s struggles in major championships over the past decade. Of course they won, because he won both.
But it’s worth remembering that apart from the Masters, McIlroy hasn’t won one of golf’s other three majors since 2014. Let the 2024 US Open He made three bogeys in the last four holes, losing to Bryson DeChambeau by one shot.
The biggest factor in these bogeys was McIlroy’s inability to convert short putts; these included a miss of a 2 1/2-footer on No. 16 and a miss from 4 feet inside on No. 18.
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Rory McIlroy reacts after missing a short putt in the first round of the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. (Oisin Keniry/R&A)
Those woes resurfaced on Thursday during the first round of the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. He missed putts to inside 4 feet on both No. 7 and 8, then added a miss to just over 4 feet on No. 10.
After missing six putts from within 15 feet in his first 12 holes, McIlroy holed a 23-foot putt for birdie on No. 13.
He gave up the shot right away with a sloppy bogey on the par-5 14th hole, but then holed a 12-footer on No. 15 for birdie.
Unfortunately, he followed that up with another sloppy bogey on No. 17 and another with a par 5 at Royal Birkdale. It’s not often that McIlroy plays par-5s in doubles, but that’s what happened Thursday. He missed another putt from inside 12 feet on the 17th to bring his total to eight for the round, then made the closing birdie on No. 18 to end the rollercoaster round.
Ultimately, McIlroy carded a 2-over 72 and was seven shots behind after 18 holes. If he plans to play on the weekend, he has his work cut out for him.
Jackson Suber, making his Open debut, dazzles with his 65 in the opening round
Many people may not be familiar with the 26-year-old American, but they definitely should be. Suber, who qualified for the Open by finishing in a tie for fourth at the RBC Canadian Open, completed the low round of the day at Royal Birkdale, gaining more than six strokes over the course, according to Data Golf.
He has a one-shot lead over Daniel Brown and Sungjae Im, who shot matching 66s.
Suber has only competed in two majors before, missing the cut at this year’s U.S. Open and finishing 73rd at the 2024 U.S. Open. He finds himself leading a major championship in very foreign territory.
Jackson Suber and caddy Greyson Porter smile on the 18th green after the first round of the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
But he has quietly put together a very strong year on the PGA Tour. Since the beginning of May, Suber has finished in the top 20 four times, including a lone fourth-place finish at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, the aforementioned T-4 at the RBC Canadian Open and T-6 at the John Deere Classic.
Of course, leading a major is a different kind of pressure. It will be interesting to see how Suber handles this situation.
Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau and other big names at Royal Birkdale
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler said after scoring 68 in the first round that he thought he played better than his score indicated. That’s bad news for everyone in Southport this weekend, but it’s a reminder that Scheffler is still the best golfer on the planet.
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Even though he shot two under par and was ranked in the top 20, Scheffler knows he can score better. He had the hottest start of any player on Thursday, making birdie on four of his first six holes. But after the torrid start, he stalled, made two bogeys and no birdie the rest of the way.
Scottie Scheffler started fast in the first round of the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale but fell behind in the final 12 holes. (Kate McShane/R&A)
Like McIlroy, Scheffler missed some short putts, including a 5-footer on No. 11 and a 4 1/2-footer on No. 17. If the strikes start falling again like they did at the beginning of the round, watch out for Scheffler.
Bryson DeChambeau finally gained some momentum with his performance in the first round. DeChambeau shared the lead until he made a bogey on his final hole. He also played in a group with Scheffler and shot a 3-under 67 to beat the world No. 1 by one shot.
DeChambeau hasn’t pitched below par in any of his six major rounds in 2026, so this is by far his best major round of the year. After missing the cut at each of the first three majors this year, DeChambeau looks set to finally play on the weekend.
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In the afternoon wave, world No. 4 Cameron Young shot a 67 to join the nine-player jam currently sitting in fourth place.
It’s a fascinating leaderboard at the Open Championship, with a mix of some of the best in the world like Scheffler, DeChambeau and Young, and lesser-known players like Suber, Daniel Brown, Pierceson Coody and Alex Smalley.
This should prepare golf fans for an exciting weekend with plenty of stories and intrigue.
