Scheffler posts 68 in opening round of Open Championship despite late setbacks

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler began his Open Championship defense at Royal Birkdale with a strong front nine, recording four birdies to post a two-under 68. The round included a 43-foot putt on the sixth hole that gave him a solo lead, but a series of missed shots on the back nine – including a chip that missed the green on the seventh, a drive into a pot bunker on the tenth and a second-shot mishap on the seventeenth – led to two bogeys and the loss of his lead.

Scheffler said he was pleased with his ball-striking but felt he could have extracted more from the round. > "I felt like I could have gotten a little bit more out of it," he said. > "If I continue to do what I did today with the ball-striking, I’ll be in a good spot as the week goes on."

His 68 left him two strokes behind the early leaders Sungjae Im and Dan Brown, while fellow contenders Bryson DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton posted 67 and 69 respectively. Scheffler, who missed the cut at the Genesis Scottish Open for the first time in nearly four years, expressed confidence moving forward. > "Golf is played over 72 holes, and I definitely liked what I saw today."