21:50 - July 16, 2026
With the final three-ball not starting until 16:21 today, there are still a few groups out on the links at Royal Birkdale at the 154th Open Championship, but none of them are close to threatening the leader, Jackson Suber, who played his last five holes in four-under-par to post a five-under-par 65.
On -4, Dan Brown and Sungjae Im, who played together this morning, are tied for second but it's bunched after that with nine players tied for fourth on -3 and as many as 38 players under-par.
The world number one and defending champion, Scottie Scheffler, who began the event this morning, was a 9/110.00 chance on the Betfair Exchange before the off, the biggest price he's been pre-tournament for some time, but after playing his first six holes in four-under-par he was matched at a low of 5/23.50.
It was a very impressive start after last week's missed cut in the Scottish Open, his first weekend off in almost four years, but that was as good as it got.
Scheffler bogeyed the par three seventh before parring every hole bar the par five 17th, where he made a bogey six, and after the opening day at Royal Birkdale, he trails by three in a tie for 13th.
A fast start is usually vital at an Open and only three of the last 20 Open winners have been outside the top 10 after round one but history tells us that this is a venue at which a slow start can be overcome.
Mark O'Meara is the only winner in the last 30 years not to be within five strokes of the lead after the opening round in an Open Championship and that happened here 28 years ago.
Here's where the previous 10 Open winners at Royal Birkdale sat after round one
1954 - Peter Thomson - tied seventh, trailing by three
1961 - Arnold Palmer - tied seventh, trailing by two
1965 - Peter Thomson - tied 23rd, trailing by six
1971 - Lee Trevino -tied for the lead with three others
1976 - Johnny Miller - tied 10th, trailing by three
1983 - Tom Watson -tied second, trailing by three
1991 - Ian Baker-Finch - tied 33rd, trailing by five
1998 - Mark O'Meara - tied 62nd, trailing by seven
2008 - Padraig Harrington - tied 38th, trailing by five
2017 - Jordan Spieth -tied for the lead with Matt Kuchar and Brooks Koepka
Although he very nearly threw the title away (Matt Kuchar was matched at just 1.351/3 on Sunday), Jordan Spieth won wire-to-wire here nine years ago, as did the 1971 winner, Lee Trevino, but Peter Thomson was six adrift and tied for 23rd back in 1965 and the three course winners before Spieth all started slowly.
Padraig Harrington was five adrift and tied 38th after the opening day, Mark O'Meara sat seven off the pace and tied for 62nd in 1998 and back in 1991, Ian Baker-Finch sat tied for 33rd and five back.
With the course playing softer than it did in the afternoon, and with the wind down, the morning starters enjoyed the better of it today, but the forecast suggests things will even out a bit tomorrow.
The greens will be watered over night and with the wind not due to pick up until the afternoon, the early starters have a chance to make a move.
The leader, Suber, kicks off his second round at 7:30 so he could steal a march on the field but the 25-year-old is yet to win and he's playing in his first Open.
I certainly don't want to be taking him on at 33/134.00 but I'm not interested in backing him at that price either.
My Find Me a 100 Winner pick, Kurt Kitayama, is positioned on -1 and he tees off before Suber and alongside Sepp Straka, who's another that could make a big move first thing.
Straka hasn't been playing well for a while now but he's a class act on his day. He's won four times on the PGA Tour, and he finished second in the 2023 Open, so I thought he was a fair price at 90.089/1 given he only trails by three and he starts early.
Back Sepp Straka
Keegan Bradley was trading at 200.0199/1 an hour or so ago but he's been backed into around 120.0119/1.
He's another that could make an early move tomorrow but the only other one I've backed in-running so far is the 2022 runner-up, Cameron Young, at 12/113.00 with the Sportsbook.
Back Cam Young
Young sits tied for fourth on -3 and he kicks off his second round at 9:58 so he should miss the worst of the weather.