DeChambeau's disastrous start at The Open 2025

Highlights of round 1 of The Open 2025. Source: The R&A

There were many different stories after the first 18 holes of The Open Championship 2025 , the tournament that returned golf to its art and classic status, the most iconic of all events in the sport .

On the opening day at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, competitors competed in rain, wind and cold.

The atmosphere was quintessentially British, with cheering crowds and the sea nearby.

There, Jakob Skov Olesen, Haotong Li, Matt Fitzpatrick, Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Harris English lead the way with a -4 record.

Scheffler Open 2025.jpg — Scheffler was among the leaders after round 1. Photo: PGA Tour

World No. 1 golfer, also a strong candidate for the 2025 Open championship, Scottie Scheffler , is right behind with a score of 1 stroke lower (-3).

Rory McIlroy also finished with a -1 score in front of the home crowd. It seems the pressure is on him when he returns to Royal Portrush (Par71).

One of the main characters of the rainy day was Bryson DeChambeau – also in the group of championship candidates, always a favorite despite moving to LIV Golf of Saudi Arabia.

De Chambeau did not have any birdies in the first 18 holes of the competition. He kept even par in the first three holes, then made a double bogey on the par-4 hole.

The American golfer bogeyed the par-4 9th hole. A double bogey followed at the par-3 13th hole, before De C hambeau capped off the day with back-to-back bogeys at the par-4 17th and 18th holes.

De C hambeau had a score of +7, only better than 7 other golfers participating in the world's oldest golf tournament.

This was also De C hambeau 's worst debut in his career at a major tournament. He will need to improve on the second day if he wants to be present at the weekend and compete for a high ranking.

DeChambeau with an unforgettable moment on hole 4. Source: Golf Clips

Sergio Garcia, another member of LIV Golf, also made a splash at Royal Portrush.

After missing the cut at The Masters, finishing 67th at the PGA Championship and failing to qualify for the US Open, The Open was almost a last-minute exit for the Spaniard.

Sergio Garcia is playing like the Ryder Cup is underway at Royal Portrush, fighting to qualify for the European-American grand slam in New York next September.

At 45, García is sailing back to the tournament where he is the all-time leading scorer, after missing out in Rome in the fall of 2023.

“I worked really hard to find something that made me feel more comfortable and hit the shots the way I thought. I played better,” Garcia said after the round with a score of -1.

“The Ryder Cup? I can’t think about that. All I can do is keep improving and see where it takes me,” Garcia said, trying to keep the pressure off.