Fitzpatrick headlines leaders with Scheffler threatening at The Open

Matt Fitzpatrick headlines a group of five golfers at the top of the Open Championship leaderboard, but it's Scottie Scheffler, just one shot off the lead, who will grab everyone's attention at Royal Portrush.

Fitzpatrick matched Jacob Skov Olesen, Haotong Li, Harris English, and Christiaan Bezuidenhout with a 4-under 67 to set the early pace in Northern Ireland. Scheffler's morning round of 3-under 68 held up to leave him tied for sixth and keeps him as the betting favorite to win his fourth career major title.

Tyrrell Hatton is tied with Scheffler, one stroke clear of a large group that includes veterans Justin Rose, Lee Westwood, and Rickie Fowler. Local favorites Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy fired 1-under 70s to sit tied for 20th, joined in that pack by notable names such as Jon Rahm, Phil Mickelson, and Sergio Garcia.

The iconic Royal Portrush provided a challenging test for the field on Day 1, with rain hitting the course intermittently throughout the round. English was the only man among the leaders to play in the late afternoon wave, reaching 5-under at one point before a late bogey dropped him into the tie at the top.

The round was certainly encouraging for Fitzpatrick, as the Englishman looks to make a late push for the Ryder Cup team in September. The 2022 U.S. Open champion has struggled over the past two years but has been building off a T-8 finish at the PGA Championship in May. His round was highlighted by an incredible pitch that dunked in the cup on the treacherous 16th hole.

The other four golfers at the top are without a major championship victory, with English the class of that group. The veteran American already has two top-12 major finishes this year, including a runner-up at Quail Hollow.

Scheffler showed his brilliant approach play throughout the round, hitting only three fairways on the day. Despite facing plenty of challenges from the rough, the World No. 1 still managed to card five birdies. He sits in a prime position to make a run at grabbing the third leg of his career Grand Slam and likely cementing himself as the Player of the Year despite McIlroy's victories at the Players and the Masters.

McIlroy's first round at his home Open on Thursday went significantly better than his 79 in 2019, as the 36-year-old posted a 1-under 70 in the challenging afternoon wave. Like Scheffler, McIlroy struggled mightily off the tee in hitting just two fairways but also used strong approach play to score.

He's back out in Friday's morning wave and will look to narrow the gap heading to the weekend.

Many top names will need a low round Friday to make the cut, including Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa, and Bryson DeChambeau.

Koepka started in fine form but made six bogeys over his final 10 holes to fall to 4-over. Morikawa made just one birdie on the day, with the issues from last week's missed cut in Scotland still prevalent. DeChambeau's career-long issues at The Open continued in Round 1, as the two-time U.S. Open winner fell back with a 7-over 78.