British Open Tee Times 2024: Pairings and Predictions for Friday Schedule

The best British Open scores on Friday are likely to come from the early wave of tee times.

The official weather forecast for the event states that the wind gusts will pick up to as high as 32 miles per hour by Friday afternoon.

Weather was on the side of the golfers in Friday's early tee times near the conclusion of Thursday's first round.

The winds died down and allowed the likes of Shane Lowry, Xander Schauffele and Jordan Spieth to post some favorable scores.

Lowry, the 2019 Open champion, and surprise first-round leader Daniel Brown could extend their advantages before Justin Thomas, Alex Noren and others take the course in the afternoon.

The potentially treacherous conditions could also be bad news for Rory McIlroy and golfers who need a good Friday. Low rounds are still possible in bad conditions, but fewer of them should appear during the second round.

The second round begins at 1:35 a.m. ET on Friday. The full list of tee times can be found here on PGATour.com.

Shane Lowry Works into the Lead

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Ireland's Shane Lowry watches his shot from the 1st tee on the opening day of the 152nd British Open Golf Championship at Royal Troon on the south west coast of Scotland on July 18, 2024. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Shane Lowry appears to be in a tremendous spot to extend his advantage on Friday morning.

The Irishman shot a bogey-free 66 on Thursday afternoon to put himself in prime position to land his second Claret Jug.

Lowry owns plenty of experience dealing with the treacherous conditions in the British Isles and he might be the golfer best poised to turn in a low round among the players starting early on Friday who had under-par rounds on Thursday.

Lowry could see the 2024 Open play out similar to his 2019 victory at Royal Portrush. He was one shot off the lead in the first round and then shot a four-under 67 to get into a tie for the lead after the second round.

He surged in front of the field with a third-round 63 and held on to the win with a final-round 72 five years ago.

A similar strategy could be employed in 2024 because Friday may be about getting in the best round in the best conditions and then allowing carnage to happen everywhere else on the leaderboard.

Even if Lowry cards a round of one-or-two-under, he could extend his advantage given how rough the winds could be for Justin Thomas, Alex Noren, Justin Rose and others who are a few shots back of the lead.

Rory McIlroy Misses Cut

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TROON, SCOTLAND - JULY 18: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his second shot on the 9th hole on day one of The 152nd Open championship at Royal Troon on July 18, 2024 in Troon, Scotland. (Photo by Pedro Salado/Getty Images)

Rory McIlroy's decade-long streak without a major will likely extend into 2025.

McIlroy was gobbled up by Royal Troon on Thursday morning, as he finished with a seven-over 78.

It would be incredibly difficult for McIlroy to make up five shots on the projected cut line in normal conditions. His situation may be more dire on a blustery Friday.

Sure, other golfers will play worse in a 20-30 miles per hour of wind, but that also means McIlroy will not have a ton of looks at birdie.

The top 70 golfers and ties make the cut at The Open. Two-over would be the cut line if applied to Thursday's final scores.

McIlroy needs to put in a Herculean effort, if the conditions are as subpar as predicted, just to get within the cut line.

Even if he finds a way to make the cut, it is hard to see McIlroy launching himself so many spots into contention where he is remotely close to the top 10 on Saturday and Sunday.

Jordan Spieth Battles Way Into Top Five

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TROON, SCOTLAND - JULY 18: Jordan Spieth of the USA during the first round of the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon, on July 18, 2024, in Troon, Scotland. (Photo by Rob Casey/SNS Group via Getty Images)

Jordan Spieth authored the prototypical Jordan Spieth major-tournament round on Thursday.

There were plenty of bright spots, like an early birdie on No. 3 and an eagle on No. 16, but there also some bad holes, including two bogeys on two of the final four holes.

The good and bad versions of Spieth were on display on Thursday, but he did find a way to consolidate his mistakes.

His eagle on No. 16 came after a bogey on No. 15 and he did not have two consecutive holes with bogeys.

He has enough of a solid foundation to build on for Friday, and if there's anyone who loves the challenges of links-style golf, it is Spieth.

Spieth entered the week as one of two players with a cumulative British Open score of 30-under or better since 2018.

The three-time major champion has not finished worse than 30th at The Open since 2015. The skill of navigating links courses should help Spieth get through the second round, and if he eliminates a few bogeys, he could be in the top five by the time the second round concludes.