Scheffler Chases Open Leaders at Royal Birkdale Sport By lines July 16, 2026 Scottie Scheffler opened the Open Championship with a 2-under 68 at Royal Birkdale. Scheffler, the defending champion, sits two shots back of the lead. Sungjae Im and Dan Brown share the top spot at 4-under. Scheffler Answers Missed-Cut Doubts With an Opening 68 Scheffler birdied four of his first six holes and briefly led alone Thursday. Scheffler gave back strokes at the par-3 seventh and the par-5 17th. The opening 68 left Scheffler two shots behind at Royal Birkdale. Thomas Detry posted a clubhouse 3-under 67 in the morning wave. Sungjae Im and Dan Brown share the Round 1 lead at 4-under. Bryson DeChambeau matched Thomas Detry at 3-under 67. Tommy Fleetwood and Jon Rahm each carded a 1-under 69. Jordan Spieth stumbled to a 3-over 73 at Royal Birkdale. Scheffler arrived as the defending Champion Golfer of the Year from 2025. Scheffler had run off 78 consecutive made cuts before the Genesis Scottish Open. That streak ended last week and rattled Scheffler’s betting market price. An opening 68 suggests Scheffler’s links game has returned in time. Polymarket priced Scheffler at 10.5% to win the Open entering Round 1. Scheffler’s probability had fallen more than 33% in 24 hours after the missed cut. The same market gave Scheffler a 47.5% chance to finish top-10. Thursday’s 68 should firm those market-implied numbers before Round 2. Scheffler’s 68 flipped a week of doubt into early Open contention. The 2-under start trails co-leaders Sungjae Im and Dan Brown by two. Bryson DeChambeau sits alone in between at 3-under 67. Scheffler must hold that ground across 54 remaining holes. Scheffler chases back-to-back Claret Jugs at the 154th Open Championship. No golfer has defended the Open title since Padraig Harrington in 2008. Harrington claimed that second crown at Royal Birkdale, the same venue this week. Scheffler sits two shots back with 54 holes still to play. Scheffler tees off in Round 2 chasing Sungjae Im and Dan Brown. The weather draw could reshape the Royal Birkdale leaderboard by Friday night. Scheffler trails by two, with Bryson DeChambeau one shot ahead at 3-under. An opening 68 put Scheffler among a crowded pack of contenders. View the live 2026 Open Championship winner odds on Lines.com Related Sports Coverage 2026 Open Championship: Scheffler Chases RepeatScheffler’s 78-Cut Streak Ends at Scottish OpenScheffler, McIlroy Headline 2026 Scottish Open Odds Reporting sourced from PGA Tour, ESPN, CBS Sports. Probabilities shown are market-implied and not predictions or recommendations. This content is for informational purposes only.
