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By Ethan Carter — 17 July 2026 — 3 min read

Rory McIlroy arrived at Royal Birkdale for the second round of The Open with aspirations of leveraging more favorable morning conditions to reignite his tournament prospects. Having completed his opening round two over par, placing him seven shots behind the leader, Jackson Suber, McIlroy faced significant challenges during Thursday afternoon’s play due to increased wind and firmer greens.

Reflecting on his round of 72, which saw him struggle with his putting, McIlroy expressed optimism for the upcoming day. He noted the scoring disparity between morning and afternoon play on the first day, anticipating a similar shift in conditions. McIlroy hoped to capitalize on the more benign morning weather to improve his score and re-enter contention.

McIlroy’s putting struggles and early round challenges

McIlroy’s difficulties with putting were a notable aspect of his first round. He missed putts from within four feet on both the seventh and eighth holes, followed by another miss from just over four feet on the tenth. Over his first 12 holes, McIlroy missed six putts from within 12 feet. Despite these challenges, he managed to sink a 23-footer for birdie on the 13th hole.

However, he immediately gave that shot back with a bogey on the par-5 14th. He then drilled a 12-footer for birdie on the 15th, only to concede that gain with another bogey on the 17th, another par 5 at Royal Birkdale. McIlroy missed another putt from within 12 feet on the 17th, bringing his total to eight such misses for the round. He concluded his round with a closing birdie on the 18th, finishing at two over par and seven shots adrift of the lead after 18 holes.

Leaderboard and contenders

Jackson Suber, a 26-year-old American who qualified for The Open by finishing tied for fourth at the RBC Canadian Open, delivered the lowest round of the day with a 65. Suber, ranked 115th globally, gained over six strokes on the field, according to Data Golf. He holds a one-shot lead over Daniel Brown and Sungjae Im, who both carded 66s. Suber’s career-best finish was fourth at the Canadian Open last month.

Among those teeing off early alongside McIlroy for the second round were his playing partners Matt Fitzpatrick, who was also two over, and Xander Schauffele, who was one over. Other early starters included US PGA champion Aaron Rai, one over, and US Open champion Wyndham Clark, three over. An early indication of improved scoring came from Tiger Christensen, who birdied his first two holes after a 6:35 AM start, moving to three over.

Several other prominent players are also in contention. Bryson DeChambeau was tied for fourth overnight at three under par, while local favorites Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton were two shots further back at one under par. They were joined at this mark by Jon Rahm, a two-time major winner whose best result at The Open was tied-second in 2023. Scottie Scheffler, the world number one, shot a first-round 68, indicating he felt he played better than his score suggested, and had a strong start with four birdies in his first six holes.

DeChambeau posted a 3-under 67, playing in a group with Scheffler, and had shared the lead until a bogey on his final hole. This marked his best major round of the year, as he had not shot under par in any of his six major rounds in 2026 prior to this. In the afternoon wave, world number four Cameron Young shot a 67, joining a group of nine players tied for fourth place. The leaderboard at The Open Championship features a mix of top players and lesser-known names, including Pierceson Coody and Alex Smalley, setting the stage for an intriguing weekend.

McIlroy, a Masters champion in 2025 and 2026, has not won one of golf’s other three majors since 2014. He finished his first round at Royal Birkdale with a score of 72.

Source: sports.yahoo.com