2026 British Open: Scottie Scheffler shakes off missed cut, jumps into contention at Royal Birkdale

SOUTHPORT, England – The sky is blue, the grass is brown (at least here) and Scottie Scheffler is back in contention.

Water found its level Thursday at The Open Championship.

The world No. 1 and defending Champion Golfer of the Year shook off any residual poor form he carried from his first missed cut in nearly four years at last week’s Genesis Scottish Open, shooting 2-under 68 in the first round at Royal Birkdale to jump right back into contention. The co-leaders Sungjae Im and Dan Brown are tied at 4-under.

The spotlight has shone brightly on Scheffler this year, with scrutiny ramping up as the tournaments tick by without another trophy. It’s a standard set by Scheffler, the dominant figure in the sport for the last half-decade. He’s used to winning more than he has and we are used to seeing it. That he hasn’t has set off alarm bells, even if the underlying metrics point to only a slight dip in play that is still better than anyone else in the sport. And on the back of a missed cut at The Renaissance Club, there was tepid buzz for the four-time major champion entering the year’s final major.

The buzz is back after 18 holes.

“If I continue to strike the ball the way I did today and just keep giving myself looks, that's part of it,” Scheffler said. “Golf is played over 72 holes, and I definitely liked what I saw today.”

Scheffler hit 13 of 14 fairways on Thursday, best in the field. His driving and approach play were his strengths. He left numerous putts inches short, which could have pushed him onto the first page of the leaderboard. He could only point to a few poor swings all day. Each of them just seemed to be harshly punished. He birdied four of his first six holes, briefly holding the lead alone. But he dropped a shot at the par-3 seventh and stalled from there. A bogey at the par-5 17th was the only other piece of geometry on the card.

That penultimate hole received the most attention after the round. Scheffler’s approach into the par-5 veered right and settled in a bushel of nasty grass. Scheffler thought the ball may have been stepped on, but, “nobody would fess up.” He considered taking an unplayable and the lash he took justified that line of thinking. The ball went straight left, across the fairway and into the heather on the other side. With a much better lie there, Scheffler played onto the green and settled for bogey.

“Didn't think I was going to be able to get the ball out of the grass that it was sitting in, but was able to get it out. Just didn't get it up-and-down,” Scheffler said. “Just one of those deals; sometimes you hit it over there and you get a clean lie and you're able to give yourself a look, and then other times like today, you pay a pretty severe price. But I guess don't hit it offline.”

Scheffler is back in a familiar place, contending again at a major. He finished runner-up at the Masters and played alongside Wyndham Clark in the final pairing at the U.S. Open.

His season, thus far, is defined by close calls. If Scheffler nabs the year’s last major, the entire complexion of his season changes. The close calls become seeds planted, awaiting a bigger bloom.

Royal Birkdale was fertile ground on Thursday.