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.

Rory McIlroy shot 1-under 70 in the first round of the British Open at Royal Portrush that is also serving as a homecoming for the Northern Irish star.

The top-ranked golfer in the world posted an early 3-under 68 and entered the clubhouse at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland just a shot off the lead. By the end of the day, though, there were five golfers — Jacob Skov, Olesen, Haotong Li, Matt Fitzpartick, Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Harris English — tied for the lead at 4-under.

The British Open on Thursday at Royal Portrush ended with a five-way tie atop the leaderboard. Here are highlights and scores from the first round.

Another bogey-free round belonged to 44-year-old Justin Rose, in the group at 69 that included 52-year-old Lee Westwood, former Open champion Brian Harman and Lucas Glover, who was tied for the lead until a pair of bogeys early on the back nine.

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The "Golden Bear" and 18-time major winner won the first of his three Opens and completed the first of his three career grand slams along the southeastern Scottish coast in 1966, then called the par-71 layout "the best golf course in Britain."

The final major of the season is here. Follow along for live updates, scores, highlights and more from the first round of the 2025 British Open.

Just as a certain Northern Irishman’s golf ball flew left, but not too far left, and safely settled in the rough, the sun peeked ou

Wilma Erskine gazed around Royal Portrush as Shane Lowry, who grew up across the border in the Republic of Ireland, hoisted the claret jug at the first British Open played in Northern Ireland in 68 years.

British Open's purse and the payout for the top 10 places. The schedule for the tournament and the previous winners.