PGA Tour Revealed Tiger Woods Record Rory McIlroy Is Chasing at Open Championship

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Dibyendu Mondal | Last updated Jul 17, 2025 5:58 PM ET

Rory McIlroy arrived at Royal Portrush buoyed by his victory at Augusta this April, hoping to exorcise the demons of his dramatic 2019 collapse here.

In torrid conditions on Thursday, he carded a 70 to sit at one‑under‑par, leaving him three shots adrift of the four‑under‑par leaders after Round 1.

Despite erratic tee shots and gusty winds, McIlroy showed flashes of the dominant form that earned him the Green Jacket. He made five birdies during the round but messed that up with three bogeys at the back nine. The headline story, however, centers on what lies in wait should he prevail this week.

McIlroy would become only the second man to claim both the Masters and the Claret Jug in the same calendar year.

That feat was last achieved by Tiger Woods in 2005, when Woods won his fourth Green Jacket in a sudden‑death playoff at Augusta and then went on to dominate The Open at St Andrews, firing rounds of 66‑67‑71‑70 for a 274 (−14) total to win by five strokes.

Yet while McIlroy chases that benchmark, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler has already positioned himself closer. Scheffler opened with a sublime 68, sitting at three‑under and one stroke clear of the pack after Thursday’s opening salvo.

Despite his existential comments about winning earlier in the week, Scheffler very much means business at Royal Portrush.

“This week, I’m trying to play good enough to win the golf tournament. I think I’ve made that pretty clear over the course of my career," he quipped. "As far as my comments or anything like that, Doug always asks too many questions, so I blame him.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler opens in 3-under 68 @TheOpen at Royal Portrush. ✅

He's one off the early lead, eyeing the third leg of the career Grand Slam this weekend. pic.twitter.com/zWoXt3O2aA
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 17, 2025

"No, I mean, I think I try to be as honest as I can with y’all, with the stuff that I’m willing to kind of say. At times, I feel like maybe I should be a little less honest. Maybe I shouldn’t have said the stuff I said yesterday because now I’m going to get asked about it more.”

That candor underlines Scheffler’s focus and the record McIlroy must chase if he hopes to eclipse one of golf’s modern benchmarks.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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