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.
Points1
Defending Open champion. Opened at Portrush last year with a 68. Has never missed a cut at a major.Scottie SchefflerWinner
+1
0
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
+1
2 of 15
Jul 16 @ 7:00 AM
Pick the winner.
Points0
Grew up in Southport. Royal Birkdale is literally his home course.Tommy Fleetwood
+1
1
Scotland's best player right now and arguably in the form of his life.Robert MacIntyreWinner
+1
3 of 15
Jul 16 @ 7:00 AM
Pick the winner.
Points0
2023 Masters champion. Nearly won at Portrush last year. Dangerous on links turf.Jon Rahm
+1
1
Shot a final-round 64 at Portrush to charge into the top 10. Different game, same threat.Bryson DeChambeauWinner
+1
4 of 15
Rank the Favorites: Who has the best Round 1?
Jul 16 @ 7:00 PM
Sort the competitors from first place to last place.
Points- 1Scottie SchefflerWorld No. 1, defending champion.
- 2Jon Rahm2023 Masters champion, former world No. 1.
- 3Viktor HovlandNorwegian star, top-10 OWGR, strong links record.
- 4Xander SchauffeleWon the 2025 Open at Portrush. Knows how to win majors.
- 5Rory McIlroy2026 Masters champion, four-time major winner.
5 of 15
Rank the Home Nations: Who flies the flag best in Round 1?
Jul 16 @ 7:00 AM
Sort the competitors from first place to last place.
Points- 1Robert MacIntyreScotland's standard bearer. In the form of his life.
- 2Tommy FleetwoodSouthport local. Royal Birkdale is his backyard course.
- 2Tyrrell HattonThe volatile wildcard. Can shoot 63 or 73 on any given day.
- 4Matt FitzpatrickOpened R1 at Portrush last year at -4 to share the lead. Always lurking.
6 of 15
Rank the Past Champions: Who shows up first at Birkdale?
Jul 16 @ 7:00 AM
Sort the competitors from first place to last place.
Points- 1Collin MorikawaWon at Royal St. George's in 2021 — a links debut for the ages.
- 2Shane LowryWon at Portrush in 2019. Emotional links golfer at his best in majors.
- 3Jordan SpiethWon HERE in 2017, opening with a 65. Birkdale brings something out in him.
7 of 15
What will the Round 1 leader's score be?
Jul 16 @ 7:00 AM
Pick the correct answer.
Points63 or better (-7+)Historic links scoring. Would be one of the lowest R1 scores in Open Championship history.
+1
64-65 (-6 to -5)CorrectThe Birkdale sweet spot. Spieth led here in 2017 with a 65. Rare but very achievable.
+1
66-67 (-4 to -3)Five players shared the R1 lead at Portrush last year at 67. Solid, typical links scoring.
+1
68 or higher (-2 or worse)Conditions turned nasty. Atlantic wind showed up. Nobody ran away on Thursday.
+1
8 of 15
Will Scottie Scheffler open with a sub-par round?
Jul 16 @ 7:00 AM
Pick the correct answer.
PointsYes — he goes under parCorrectHe's the world No. 1 and has never missed a cut at a major. Sub-par feels like the floor.
+1
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.
+1
9 of 15
Morning wave or afternoon wave — who scores better on Thursday?
Jul 16 @ 7:00 AM
Pick the correct answer.
PointsMorning wave scores betterCorrectWind 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.
+1
Afternoon wave scores betterFirmer, faster greens hold approach shots better. Some players prefer the course dried out.
+1
Within 1 shot of each otherConditions stay consistent all day. Both waves get a fair deal. It happened at Portrush in 2025.
+1
10 of 15
How many players will finish under par after Round 1?
Jul 16 @ 7:00 AM
Pick the correct answer.
Points20 or fewerBirkdale bites hard. Wind is up, scoring is tough, and par 70 is a real challenge.
+1
21-35 playersA typical links spread. Roughly where Birkdale landed in 2017 on a mixed weather day.
+1
36-50 playersCorrectBenign conditions. Calm wind, soft greens, scoring runs hot across the field.
+1
51 or moreVirtually no wind. A scoring bonanza. Rare at a links major but not impossible.
+1
11 of 15
Will any player shoot 64 or better in Round 1?
Jul 16 @ 7:00 AM
Pick the correct answer.
PointsYes — someone goes lowA 64 would be a statement round. Aggressive, clean, and largely wind-free. Historic but not impossible.
+1
No — the course holds its ownCorrectThe lowest R1 score at the last Open at Birkdale was 65. The new 241-yard par-3 15th will eat shots.
+1
12 of 15
Which group leads or co-leads after Round 1?
Jul 16 @ 7:00 AM
Pick the correct answer.
PointsA top-5 favouriteScheffler, McIlroy, Rahm, Hovland, or Schauffele. At 2017 Birkdale, the R1 leaders were Spieth, Koepka and Kuchar — all household names.
+1
A past champion outside the top 5Spieth, Harman, Lowry, Smith, or Morikawa. Experience at links majors counts for a lot.
+1
A Brit or IrishmanFleetwood, MacIntyre, Hatton, Fitzpatrick, or Rose. Home crowd energy is real at The Open.
+1
A wildcard nobody predictedCorrectAt Portrush in 2025, four of the five R1 co-leaders were genuine unknowns. Links golf does this.
+1
13 of 15
Will there be a hole-in-one on Thursday?
Jul 16 @ 7:00 AM
Pick the correct answer.
PointsYes — 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.
+1
No — not on day oneCorrectHole-in-ones at The Open happen roughly once every two years across all four rounds. Thursday alone is a long shot.
+1
14 of 15
Where does Rory McIlroy sit after Round 1?
Jul 16 @ 7:00 AM
Pick the correct answer.
PointsLeading or co-leading (-4 or better)He scouted Birkdale in June. He wants this. He’s motivated like never before.
+1
In the pack (-1 to -3)Solid but not spectacular. Sets up a big Friday push.
+1
Right at par (E)A frustrating start. Birkdale held him. Needs a big Round 2 to stay in it.
+1
Struggling (+1 or worse)CorrectAt Portrush last year he bogeyed three straight on the back nine in R1. It can happen to anyone, even Rory.
+1
15 of 15
The Amateurs: Who survives Thursday best?
Jul 16 @ 7:00 AM
Sort the competitors from first place to last place.
Points- 1Tim Wiedemeyer2026 European Amateur Champion from Germany. One of the most decorated amateurs in Europe right now.
- 1Mason Howell2025 US Amateur Champion. Represented the US in the Walker Cup. The most pedigreed amateur in the field.
- 3Stuart 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.
