Photo by Jeffrey Eisen on Unsplash
Daily Par: Round 1 — First Day at Birkdale
Final scoresRoyal Birkdale's first round tells a story every year. Who jumps out early. Who the wind buries. Whether the favorites show up or the leaderboard fills with names nobody predicted. 70 points says you can call it. Lock in before Wednesday night — first tee is 6:30am BST (1:30am ET).
1 of 15
Jul 16 @ 7:00 AM
Pick the winner.
Defending Open champion. Opened at Portrush last year with a 68. Has never missed a cut at a major.Scottie Scheffler
1
2026 Masters champion. Scouted Birkdale in June with Nick Faldo. Shot 68 at Portrush R1 then bogeyed three straight on the back nine.Rory McIlroy
0
2 of 15
Jul 16 @ 7:00 AM
Pick the winner.
Grew up in Southport. Royal Birkdale is literally his home course.Tommy Fleetwood
0
Scotland's best player right now and arguably in the form of his life.Robert MacIntyre
1
3 of 15
Jul 16 @ 7:00 AM
Pick the winner.
2023 Masters champion. Nearly won at Portrush last year. Dangerous on links turf.Jon Rahm
0
Shot a final-round 64 at Portrush to charge into the top 10. Different game, same threat.Bryson DeChambeau
1
4 of 15
Jul 16 @ 7:00 PMRank the Favorites: Who has the best Round 1?
Sort the competitors from first place to last place.
1
Scottie SchefflerWorld No. 1, defending champion.
2
Jon Rahm2023 Masters champion, former world No. 1.
3
Viktor HovlandNorwegian star, top-10 OWGR, strong links record.
4
Xander SchauffeleWon the 2025 Open at Portrush. Knows how to win majors.
5
Rory McIlroy2026 Masters champion, four-time major winner.
5 of 15
Jul 16 @ 7:00 AMRank the Home Nations: Who flies the flag best in Round 1?
Sort the competitors from first place to last place.
1
Robert MacIntyreScotland's standard bearer. In the form of his life.
2
Tommy FleetwoodSouthport local. Royal Birkdale is his backyard course.
2
Tyrrell HattonThe volatile wildcard. Can shoot 63 or 73 on any given day.
4
Matt FitzpatrickOpened R1 at Portrush last year at -4 to share the lead. Always lurking.
6 of 15
Jul 16 @ 7:00 AMRank the Past Champions: Who shows up first at Birkdale?
Sort the competitors from first place to last place.
1
Collin MorikawaWon at Royal St. George's in 2021 — a links debut for the ages.
2
Shane LowryWon at Portrush in 2019. Emotional links golfer at his best in majors.
3
Jordan SpiethWon HERE in 2017, opening with a 65. Birkdale brings something out in him.
7 of 15
Jul 16 @ 7:00 AM
What will the Round 1 leader's score be?
Pick the correct answer.
63 or better (-7+)Historic links scoring. Would be one of the lowest R1 scores in Open Championship history.
64-65 (-6 to -5)The Birkdale sweet spot. Spieth led here in 2017 with a 65. Rare but very achievable.
Correct
66-67 (-4 to -3)Five players shared the R1 lead at Portrush last year at 67. Solid, typical links scoring.
68 or higher (-2 or worse)Conditions turned nasty. Atlantic wind showed up. Nobody ran away on Thursday.
8 of 15
Jul 16 @ 7:00 AM
Will Scottie Scheffler open with a sub-par round?
Pick the correct answer.
Yes — he goes under parHe's the world No. 1 and has never missed a cut at a major. Sub-par feels like the floor.
Correct
No — even par or worseAt the 2017 Open at this course, world No. 1 Dustin Johnson shot 72 in R1. Birkdale doesn't care about rankings.
9 of 15
Jul 16 @ 7:00 AM
Morning wave or afternoon wave — who scores better on Thursday?
Pick the correct answer.
Morning wave scores betterWind off the Irish Sea typically builds through the day. Morning players get calmer air and softer greens. In 2017 at Birkdale, the morning wave had a clear advantage.
Correct
Afternoon wave scores betterFirmer, faster greens hold approach shots better. Some players prefer the course dried out.
Within 1 shot of each otherConditions stay consistent all day. Both waves get a fair deal. It happened at Portrush in 2025.
10 of 15
Jul 16 @ 7:00 AM
How many players will finish under par after Round 1?
Pick the correct answer.
20 or fewerBirkdale bites hard. Wind is up, scoring is tough, and par 70 is a real challenge.
21-35 playersA typical links spread. Roughly where Birkdale landed in 2017 on a mixed weather day.
36-50 playersBenign conditions. Calm wind, soft greens, scoring runs hot across the field.
Correct
51 or moreVirtually no wind. A scoring bonanza. Rare at a links major but not impossible.
11 of 15
Jul 16 @ 7:00 AM
Will any player shoot 64 or better in Round 1?
Pick the correct answer.
Yes — someone goes lowA 64 would be a statement round. Aggressive, clean, and largely wind-free. Historic but not impossible.
No — the course holds its ownThe lowest R1 score at the last Open at Birkdale was 65. The new 241-yard par-3 15th will eat shots.
Correct
12 of 15
Jul 16 @ 7:00 AM
Which group leads or co-leads after Round 1?
Pick the correct answer.
A top-5 favouriteScheffler, McIlroy, Rahm, Hovland, or Schauffele. At 2017 Birkdale, the R1 leaders were Spieth, Koepka and Kuchar — all household names.
A past champion outside the top 5Spieth, Harman, Lowry, Smith, or Morikawa. Experience at links majors counts for a lot.
A Brit or IrishmanFleetwood, MacIntyre, Hatton, Fitzpatrick, or Rose. Home crowd energy is real at The Open.
A wildcard nobody predictedAt Portrush in 2025, four of the five R1 co-leaders were genuine unknowns. Links golf does this.
Correct
13 of 15
Jul 16 @ 7:00 AM
Will there be a hole-in-one on Thursday?
Pick the correct answer.
Yes — someone aces it156 players will attempt the new 241-yard par-3 15th on Thursday alone. Someone’s going to try to be the first to ace it.
No — not on day oneHole-in-ones at The Open happen roughly once every two years across all four rounds. Thursday alone is a long shot.
Correct
14 of 15
Jul 16 @ 7:00 AM
Where does Rory McIlroy sit after Round 1?
Pick the correct answer.
Leading or co-leading (-4 or better)He scouted Birkdale in June. He wants this. He’s motivated like never before.
In the pack (-1 to -3)Solid but not spectacular. Sets up a big Friday push.
Right at par (E)A frustrating start. Birkdale held him. Needs a big Round 2 to stay in it.
Struggling (+1 or worse)At Portrush last year he bogeyed three straight on the back nine in R1. It can happen to anyone, even Rory.
Correct
15 of 15
Jul 16 @ 7:00 AMThe Amateurs: Who survives Thursday best?
Sort the competitors from first place to last place.
1
Tim Wiedemeyer2026 European Amateur Champion from Germany. One of the most decorated amateurs in Europe right now.
1
Mason Howell2025 US Amateur Champion. Represented the US in the Walker Cup. The most pedigreed amateur in the field.
3
Stuart Grehan33-year-old Irishman who quit pro golf, regained amateur status in 2024, then won The Amateur Championship at Royal Liverpool to earn this spot. That's a movie.
