2 weeks ago
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Associated Press
Jul 18, 2025, 04:51 PM ET
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland -- The rainfall pounded Royal Portrush close erstwhile Scottie Scheffler poured successful a birdie putt connected his archetypal spread Friday successful the Open Championship. No matter. Nothing stopped the world's No. 1 subordinate connected his mode to a 7-under 64 to physique a one-shot pb going into the weekend.
Scheffler made 8 birdies connected different chaotic day of upwind astatine Royal Portrush, and his 15-foot birdie effort connected the 18th stopped inches abbreviated for another.
The effect was a one-shot pb implicit erstwhile U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, who made 4 consecutive birdies to commencement the backmost 9 until helium cooled connected the location agelong and had to settee for a 66.
The rainfall was dense astatine times but ne'er lasted long. The upwind was breezy but ne'er astatine spot that tin origin fits. The scoring was lower, astir 2 shots easier than the opening round.
Except for a fewer chasers, Scheffler made it look similar it wasn't enough.
He was astatine 10-under 132 arsenic helium chases the 3rd limb of the vocation Grand Slam, having won the PGA Championship by 5 shots successful May.
Brian Harman got the champion of the upwind -- astonishing sunshine -- and took dormant purpose successful his hunt for different claret jug. Harman played bogey-free for a 64 that near him lone 2 shots behind, on with Li Haotong of China, who had a 67.
Everyone other was 5 shots down oregon more.
That includes Rory McIlroy, who went astir Royal Portrush successful his autochthonal Northern Ireland with plentifulness of cheers but lone a fewer roars. McIlroy had a 69 but mislaid a batch of crushed due to the fact that of Scheffler, Fitzpatrick and Harman.
He started the 2nd circular conscionable 3 shots behind. He goes into the play 7 shots down the top-ranked subordinate successful the world.
Fitzpatrick was astatine his lowest constituent conscionable 4 months agone erstwhile helium changed his caddie and manager and began pulling himself up. And present helium takes that into the play against Scheffler.
"He's going to person the anticipation to spell retired and dominate. He's an exceptional player. He's satellite No. 1, and we're seeing Tiger-like stuff," Fitzpatrick said. "I deliberation the unit is for him to triumph the play tournament. For me, evidently I anticipation I'm going to person immoderate much location enactment than him, but it's an breathtaking presumption for maine to beryllium successful fixed wherever I was earlier this year."
Fitzpatrick was rolling on until a brace of abbreviated putts helium missed, from 5 feet for par connected the 14th and from 3 feet for birdie connected the 17th. Even so, helium holed a 25-foot par putt connected the last spread and assured him being successful the past radical astatine 9-under 133.
Scheffler was crisp from the start. He deed 8 of the 14 fairways -- compared with 3 successful the opening circular -- though his misses ne'er near him excessively severely retired of position. But helium is seeing the breaks connected smoother Portrush greens, and helium looks assured arsenic ever.
None of his 8 birdies were person than 7 feet. Five of them were successful the 10-foot scope and past helium threw successful a 35-foot birdie connected the sixth. His lone bogey came connected a thrust into heavy writer connected the 11th that kept him from reaching the green.
The statistic led to a shrug.
"Overall, I'm hitting the shot solid," Scheffler said. "The tourney is lone halfway done. I got disconnected to a bully start."
Harman was called the "Butcher of Hoylake" erstwhile helium won the claret jug astatine Royal Liverpool 2 years agone due to the fact that the British property was fascinated by the Georgia native's emotion for hunting. Now it's astir his golf, and it was superb.
Harman played bogey-free, lone erstwhile having to accent for par arsenic Royal Portrush allowed for immoderate bully scoring successful upwind that again did not unrecorded up to its expectation.
Not that anyone was complaining. Temperatures were warm, astatine slightest by Irish standards. The breeze was noticeable without being overly punishing.
"They're precise antithetic play courses, but the play is similar," Harman said. "You've got to beryllium capable to formation your play ball. You've got to cognize however acold everything's going. Then you can't get frustrated. You're going to extremity up successful comic spots wherever it doesn't look fair, and you conscionable person to benignant of outlast that stuff."
The radical astatine 5-under 137 included Harris English (70), Harman's erstwhile teammate astatine Georgia; Tyrrell Hatton of England (69) and Chris Gotterup (65), who wasn't adjacent readying to beryllium astatine Royal Portrush until winning the Scottish Open past week.
Also inactive astir is Bryson DeChambeau, who made a 13-shot betterment from the archetypal circular with a 65. Still, helium was 11 shots behind.
McIlroy wasn't astatine his champion successful the opening circular and was pleased to beryllium lone 3 behind. Now helium has a existent upland to climb. But astatine slightest he's inactive playing, dissimilar successful 2019 astatine Royal Portrush erstwhile helium changeable 79 and past had a terrific rally lone to miss the chopped by 1 shot.
"I didn't person this accidental six years ago, truthful to play an other 2 days successful this ambiance successful beforehand of these crowds, I'm precise excited for that," McIlroy said. "I consciousness similar my game's decidedly bully capable to marque a run."
That was earlier Scheffler began to tally distant from truthful galore but a tiny postulation of challengers. But this is links golf. And this is the Emerald Isle, wherever the upwind seems to person a caput of its own.
Still, Scheffler has gone 10 tournaments without finishing retired of the apical 10 and would look to contiguous a situation each spot arsenic daunting arsenic Royal Portrush.
