Jackson Suber leads Open Championship after 65 at Royal Birkdale

Jackson Suber, a 26-year-old from Tampa, Florida, opened the 154th Open Championship with a 5-under 65, giving him a one-stroke lead over Sungjae Im and Dan Brown after the first round at Royal Birkdale. The American, who had never played in Europe or on a true links course before the tournament, said his recent form and confidence in his caddie helped him adapt quickly. > "I'm not really sure, but I feel like I've just been playing good the last few months and just knowing that good golf is going to take care of everything, and really trusting my caddie to figure out where we're going to hit it," Suber said. He prepared by reviewing YouTube videos of each hole and working with his statistician and caddie, Greyson Porter. Suber recorded birdies on holes 10, 11 and 14, a birdie on 16 and an eagle on 17, finishing the round with a strong finish on the back-nine. Bryson DeChambeau rebounded from recent major misses with a 3-under 67, sharing fourth place after a solid opening round. He noted satisfaction with his start but cautioned that three more days remain. > "Any time you get off to a great start, it's awesome, but there's three more days, dude. There's still a lot of golf to be played," DeChambeau said. DeChambeau used a full set of 3D-printed irons for the first time in a major, gaining strokes on approach despite limited fairway hits. World number one Scottie Scheffler posted a 4-under 68 to lead early, making birdies on four of his first six holes and hitting all five fairways. He later struggled with putting and finished tied for 13th. Rory McIlroy, the reigning Masters champion, recorded a 2-over 74 after four birdies and six bogeys. He cited inconsistent green speeds and difficulty judging the conditions. > "I struggled the first two holes to get the speed of the greens… it’s just hard to judge the speed sometimes," McIlroy said. Several other contenders, including Gary Woodland, Joaquín Niemann, Justin Rose and Jordan Spieth, face the challenge of posting low scores on Friday to make the cut as conditions are expected to improve with lighter winds. "It was important I didn't get caught leaderboard watching and see what the leader guys were doing," Shane Lowry said after posting a 1-under 69. The field will look to navigate the firm, fast links conditions as the tournament moves into its second day.