British Open Leaderboard 2026 Review of Top Scorecards and Player Stats on Day 1

Jackson Suber emerged as the unlikely 18-hole leader at The Open Championship.

The 26-year-old American topped the leaderboard with a five-under 65 at Royal Birkdale.

Suber, who is playing in just his third-career major, sits one stroke ahead of Sungjae Im and Daniel Brown.

A large group of players sits two shots back of Suber, including Bryson DeChambeau, who, at least for one day, put himself in a spot to contend after a brutal first three majors.

A handful of notable names reside on the other end of the leaderboard, led by Rory McIlroy.

McIlroy shot a two-over 72. His tournament is far from over, but he has some work to do on Friday to sneak back into contention.

Jackson Suber Takes 18-Hole Lead In First Open Appearance

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Jackson Suber finished Thursday as the sole 18-hole leader.

The American used a birdie on the 16th and an eagle on the 17th to surge to the top of the leaderboard.

Suber recorded six birdies and an eagle during his first round at Royal Birkdale.

The lead might have been larger if Suber didn't give three shots back to the course on bogeys.

The up-and-down nature of the round won't be sustainable for four rounds, but his ability to take advantage of many holes makes Suber an intriguing long-term leader.

The best-case scenario for Suber is to follow a similar path as Alex Smalley did through three rounds at the PGA Championship. Smalley was a co-first-round leader and was in front for a majority of the tournament.

Suber needs to clean up the bogeys and continue to take advantage of the easier holes. If he does that, he can end up with a even better fate than Smalley did two months ago.

Bryson DeChambeau Makes Progress With Under-Par Round

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Bryson DeChambeau made news for all the wrong reasons at the first three majors of 2026.

DeChambeau made some progress with his three-under first round at Birkdale.

The two-time U.S. Open champion last made the cut at a major a year ago at The Open, where he finished in a tie for 10th.

DeChambeau started off with consecutive birdies on the first and second holes. He rolled in three other birdies on the back nine.

He did card two bogeys in his final five holes, including on the par-four 18th, but he looked like a viable contender for most of the round.

Now the challenge is for DeChambeau to string together consecutive strong rounds to make the cut.

Winning the tournament is the ultimate goal for someone of DeChambeau's stature, but in reality, the first goal should be to make the cut on Friday.

Rory McIlroy Experiences Shaky Start

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Rory McIlroy struggled to find any consistency over his first 18 holes.

McIlroy carded six bogeys during his opening round, including two on par-fives on the back nine.

McIlroy didn't record his first birdie until the ninth hole. That shot allowed him to make the turn at one-over.

The back nine was especially shaky for McIlroy with four bogeys, three birdies and two pars.

The 37-year-old has been a consistent figure at the top of The Open leaderboard in the last few years with three top-10 finishes in the last four years.

McIlroy needs a much better second round to have a chance to be in the top 10 over the weekend.

The tournament could get away from McIlroy quickly on the front nine on Friday.

He's also capable of stringing a few birdies together and moving up the leaderboard. McIlroy would prefer to see that version of himself so that he can be in contention come Saturday.