According to BBC weather, Portrush is projected to have light rain and a gentle breeze. The rain is projected to start at 4 a.m. Eastern and ending around 4 p.m. If rain does fall, The Open is not expected to delay tee times or stop play on the course.

Spieth entered Portrush with four straight top-25 Open finishes, so there should be plenty of confidence that he turns in a much better round on Friday. Making up a six-shot deficit will be tough, but if Spieth can get to even-par, or even one-under, he'll have a shot to get into the top 10 before the weekend.

HOME HERO: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland made a late birdie for a 70 and was three shots behind. The last time he played the British Open at Royal Portrush, he made an 8 on the first hole, shot 79 and wound up missing the cut.

The final major of the season is here. Follow along for live updates, scores, highlights and more from the first round of the 2025 British Open.

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Scheffler, the top-ranked player in the world, has three wins on Tour this year, including a major victory at the 2025 PGA Championship. Scheffler finished tied for seventh in last month's U.S. Open and has finished in the top 10 in nine consecutive tournaments.

Rory McIlroy will be roared on in his homeland as the 153rd British Open gets underway at Royal Portrush on Thursday as world number one Scottie Scheffler seeks his first Claret Jug.The world number three has not won a tournament since lifting the Claret Jug a year ago and has not even managed a top-five finish in 12 tournaments this year.

Chris Gotterup may have secured his FedEx Cup playoff spot by winning the Genesis Scottish Open, jumping from 88th to 39th in the standings. Scottie Scheffler maintains a substantial lead in the FedEx Cup standings despite Rory McIlroy gaining ground.