Scott Alexander Scheffler opens with 68
Scott Alexander Scheffler opened the 154th Open Championship with a 2-under 68 at Royal Birkdale on July 16, 2026. The defending champion finished three strokes behind first-round leader Jackson Suber.
Royal Birkdale hosted The Open for the 11th time in Southport, England. The championship began on July 16 and was scheduled to run through July 19, with four competitive rounds.
Scottie Scheffler reaches 4 under
Scottie Scheffler reached 4 under through six holes after making four early birdies. A 43-foot putt at the sixth moved the World No. 1 into the solo lead that morning.
His scorecard showed birdies at the second, third, fifth, and sixth holes. A bogey at the seventh left Scheffler with a front-nine score of 31 among Thursday’s leading early contenders.
Scottie Scheffler’s scoring slows
Scottie Scheffler recorded no additional birdies across the final 12 holes. The scoring slowdown turned a possible lower round into a 68, although he remained three strokes behind Jackson Suber.
The closing stretch included several scoring opportunities, including a 5-foot attempt at the 11th. Scheffler kept creating chances with his approach play, but converted no further birdies after the sixth.
Scottie Scheffler drops one at seven
Scottie Scheffler bogeyed the par-3 seventh after missing the green left from 139 yards. His recovery ran too far past the target area, and the bogey dropped him back to 3 under.
The mistake came immediately after his 43-foot birdie at the sixth, which had briefly moved him into the solo lead. It was one of the key moments that slowed his early push at Royal Birkdale.
Scottie Scheffler struggles at 17
Scottie Scheffler faced his toughest recovery on the par-5 17th after his second shot landed in thick grass. He considered taking an unplayable lie because the ball was buried deeply.
Scheffler advanced the ball but missed a short par putt. The bogey left him 2 under and completed a round in which he played Royal Birkdale’s two par-5 holes over par.
Scottie Scheffler misses at 18
Scottie Scheffler nearly added a closing birdie at the 18th. His putt crossed the green and stopped one roll short, leaving a routine par and a final score of 68.
The narrow mismatched the wider pattern of his round. Strong ball-striking created repeated opportunities, yet several putts stayed outside the cup and kept Scheffler from reaching the lowest opening totals.
Scottie Scheffler’s putting changes
Scottie Scheffler gained 2.23 strokes putting across his first six holes. During the remaining 12, he made nothing longer than 5 feet and lost 2.21 strokes with the putter.
Those figures produced a 4.44-stroke swing between the two sections. His birdie count moved from four early conversions to none during the final 12 holes of the opening round.
Scottie Scheffler finishes three back
Scottie Scheffler’s 68 placed him in a tie for 13th after Thursday’s play. He shared 2 under with several competitors, including Collin Morikawa, and trailed the second-place group by two strokes.
Jackson Suber led at 5 under after a 65 in his first Open appearance. Sungjae Im and Dan Brown followed at 4 under, while Bryson DeChambeau joined several players at 3 under.
Scottie Scheffler trails DeChambeau
Scottie Scheffler played alongside Bryson DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton during the first two rounds. DeChambeau opened with a 3-under 67, one stroke ahead, while Hatton recorded an opening 1-under 69.
The group received a 3:04 PM local tee time for Friday’s second round. That afternoon assignment followed their 9:58 AM Thursday start and placed them in the latter half of the draw.
Royal Birkdale presents a 7,223-yard test
Royal Birkdale played as a 7,223-yard, par-70 course for the 2026 Open Championship. Preparations included revised bunkering, new tee positions, narrower landing areas, and design changes affecting several holes.
The official course guide lists the closing hole as a 508-yard par-4. Royal Birkdale hosted The Open for the 11th time, continuing a championship history that began there in 1954.
Scottie Scheffler defends his title
Scottie Scheffler arrived as the reigning Champion Golfer of the Year after winning the 2025 Open at Royal Portrush. He finished at 17 under and defeated runner-up Harris English by four strokes.
The victory delivered Scheffler’s fourth major title and the third leg of a career Grand Slam. He led by four entering Sunday, closed with a 68, and recorded all four rounds in the 60s.
Scottie Scheffler enters with 20 wins
Scottie Scheffler entered Royal Birkdale as the World No. 1 with 20 PGA Tour victories. His official Tour profile listed career earnings of $114,577,711 after he turned 30 on June 21, 2026.
Scheffler earned his 20th PGA Tour victory at The American Express in January 2026. The result qualified him for lifetime Tour membership and placed him beside Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
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Scottie Scheffler sees a scoring path
Scottie Scheffler said continued ball-striking at Thursday’s level would keep him positioned well across 72 holes. His opening 68 supported that view because only three strokes separated him from Jackson Suber.
The closing question centered on whether Scheffler’s putting would match his approach play. Four early birdies showed his scoring potential, while 12 quiet holes identified the clearest area for improvement.
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Can Scottie Scheffler turn his strong ball-striking into another Open title, or will the missed putting chances prove costly? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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