Almost 280,000 golf spectators are attending the event at Royal Portrush throughout the week. After practice days from Sunday onwards, Thursday was the first day of tournament action and it lived up to expectations for many traders in the County Londonderry town.

That's what is on the line this week at the 2025 Open Championship as Royal Portrush hosts the final major of the season in Northern Ireland. Returning to the par 71 for the first time since 2019 -- only the third time The Open has ever been held outside of Scotland or England -- the R&A has set up a tournament that will do its best to identify the man most equipped to deal with the elements and emotional toll one experiences across four rounds of major championship golf.

Even the No. 1 player in the world -- who opted for a fairway wood -- missed the fairway left Thursday. Scottie Scheffler was able to still make par, but plenty others were not; the hole saw over four times as many bogeys, or worse, as birdies.

Round 1 of the 2025 Open Championship gets underway on Friday, July 18. Here your favorite golfer's tee time at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland.

Tony Finau was sailing along just fine until he stumbled with a bogey on the par-4 17th in the first round of the British Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland on Thursday. He is tied for 20th with a round of 1-under-par 70.

It was a return six years in the making, and it was a return that perfectly encapsulated Rory McIlroy. Making the trek back to Royal Portrush for The Open Championship -- now as a career grand slam winner -- the Northern Irishman experienced a topsy-turvy day as the hard stuff came easy and the easy stuff came hard.

Rory McIlroy shot 1-under 70 in the first round of the British Open at Royal Portrush that is also serving as a homecoming for the Northern Irish star.

While Amen Corner in Augusta spans three holes, Royal Portrush's Calamity Corner is just one hole: No. 16 — a 236-yard par 3. The wind swept dunes and overgrown rough surrounding the green make this hole an absolute nightmare for those who miss the putting surface.