Rory McIlroy faces a late start to his Open Championship campaign at Royal Birkdale after being handed a 3:15pm tee time on Thursday. The world number two will play alongside 2024 winner Xander Schauffele and Ryder Cup teammate Matt Fitzpatrick in the marquee afternoon group.
McIlroy's Draw and Recent Form
McIlroy's late start means he will have already seen how defending champion Scottie Scheffler fares. Scheffler, who missed his first cut in four years at the Scottish Open last week, tees off at 9:58am alongside Bryson DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton. Immediately behind them, at 10:09am, Southport-born Tommy Fleetwood, Jordan Spieth—the last winner of a Birkdale Open—and two-time major winner Jon Rahm begin their rounds.
McIlroy has three top-seven finishes in his last four Open starts, with his only Claret Jug coming at nearby Royal Liverpool in 2014. However, his major performances this year have been mixed: after successfully defending his Masters title in April, he finished joint-seventh at the US PGA and tied for 32nd at the US Open.
Louis Oosthuizen Withdraws
Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 Open champion who won at St Andrews, has withdrawn from this year's event due to a back injury. The 43-year-old LIV Golf player had hoped to compete at Birkdale but failed to make sufficient progress in his recovery.
Oosthuizen posted on social media: "Not the update I was hoping to share. Unfortunately, due to a back injury, I've had to make the difficult decision to withdraw from both The Open and LIV Golf's JCB event [in Staffordshire]. It's incredibly disappointing to miss two events I always look forward to, but my priority now is to focus on my recovery and make sure I'm fully fit before returning to competition."
Scheffler's Preparation Concerns
Scottie Scheffler aims to become the first player to successfully defend the Claret Jug since Padraig Harrington at Royal Birkdale in 2008. However, his preparation has been less than ideal after missing the cut at the Scottish Open last week—his first missed cut in four years. The world number one will be seeking to avoid an unwanted calendar year Grand Slam of missed cuts in majors.
