PORTRUSH (Northern Ireland) – The 2024 British Amateur champion Jacob Skov Olesen of Denmark holds his first lead/co-lead after any round on TOUR. He has two prior starts on the PGA TOUR, the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon (T60), and last week’s 2025 ISCO Championship where he missed the cut.
Haotong Li of China finished solo-third in his debut Open Championship start in 2017, his best finish in 47 prior TOUR starts. He holds his second 18-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR, the last being the 2019 WGC-HSBC Champions (T24).
Matt Fitzpatrick of England recorded his best opening-round score in his 10th start at The Open Championship. His previous best opening round was a (69) in 2017.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout of South Africa posted his best score in 17 Open Championship rounds with the previous best being (68s) in R1/2021, R3/2022. Bezuidenhout holds his first lead/co-lead after any round in 119 PGA TOUR starts.
Harris English is making his 10th Open Championship start, with his lone Top-25 finish coming in 2013 (T15). He holds the first-round lead/co-lead for the sixth time on TOUR, and is 2-for-5 to date converting to victory (2013 FedEx St. Jude Championship and 2021 The Sentry.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (T6/-3) carded an opening-round (68) in bid to become the second straight player to win the PGA Championship and Open Championship in the same season (Xander Schauffele/2024). Scheffler is the only player to finish inside the Top 10 in the first three majors of 2025 (4th/Masters Tournament, 1st/PGA Championship, T7/U.S. Open).
The 2025 Masters Tournament champion and World No. 2 Rory McIlroy (T20/-1) could become the first player to win the Masters and Open Championship in the same year since Tiger Woods in 2005. McIlroy opened in 2019 at Royal Portrush with a (79).
The 2019 Open Championship winner (at Royal Portrush), Shane Lowry (T20/-1), recorded a 70 in R-1, but opened with a 67 in 2019.
In bid to become the first player to successfully defend at The Open since Padraig Harrington (2008), 2024 Open Championship winner Xander Schauffele (T32/E) posted a par (71).
The Open | Notes
- Winds were blowing from SE 10-15 mph, with gusts to 23 mph
- Five players sharing the first-round lead is the most at The Open Championship since a record six shared the lead at Royal St. George’s in 1938 (Jimmy Adams, Bill Cox, Ernest Whitcombe, Marcel Dallemagne, John Fallon, Jimmy Bruen Jr.).
- A victory by any of the co-leaders would mark the 12th consecutive first-time Open Championship winner; the event has currently had 11 first-time winners, equaling the longest streak from 1994-2004; Ernie Els in 2012 is the last player tobecome a multiple winner of The Open Championship.
The Open | Leaderboard after 18 Holes
T1 Jacob Skov Olesen 67 (-4)
T1 Haotong Li 67 (-4)
T1 Matt Fitzpatrick 67 (-4)
T1 Christiaan Bezuidenhout 67 (-4)
T1 Harris English 67 (-4)
T6 Four Players 68 (-3)
Full Leaderboard: (The Open)