The first day of the 153rd British Open is in the books and Royal Portrush held its own, with only 31 of 156 players finishing under par. Five players posted 4-under 67s: Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Harris English, Matt Fitzpatrick, Haotong Li and Jacob Skov Olesen.
There’s a long way to go at the season’s final major but we convened the SI Golf team to consider who might hang in best from the opening pack of leaders. Though some couldn't resist a player of some renown sitting one shot back.
Fact or Fiction: Matt Fitzpatrick Is the Top Contender Among the Early Leaders
Bob Harig, SI Golf Senior Writer: FICTION: It’s difficult to look past Scottie Scheffler. I'm going with Scottie Scheffler. He hit only three fairways in the first round but still managed to shoot 3 under par and pull within one of the lead. Scheffler, as usual, is lurking. He seemingly put himself in a great position once again.
John Pluym, SI.com Managing Editor: FICTION. Fitzpatrick is one of the contenders, but not the top contender. I’d say that title belongs to Scottie Scheffler, who shot a 3-under 68 despite hitting only three of 14 fairways, and he played some of his first round in rainy conditions. The world’s No. 1 player appears to be uber-focused on adding a British Open to his already impressive resume for 2025.
Jeff Ritter, SI Golf Managing Director: FICTION. Fitz is the only major-winner in the lead group, but I like Harris English much more. English is a five-time Tour winner, including the Farmers earlier this year. When English was winning that event in California, Fitzpatrick was too broken to even compete with his team in the indoor TGL league. It’s good to see Fitzpatrick rounding back into form, but it’s still advantage, English.
Michael Rosenberg, SI Senior Writer: FICTION. Look, Fitzpatrick is an admirable player, somebody who has figured out how to maximize his talent, which is a lot trickier than just working hard. He is also a major champion, having won the 2022 U.S. Open at the Country Club. But he has won one PGA Tour event since then, the 2023 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship against a relatively weak field, and he has rarely contended in majors. I don’t see why he is any more likely to win this than Harris English, who has been a better player in recent years, or even Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
Max Schreiber, SI Golf Contributor: FACT. Out of all the leaders at 4 under, yes. But one stroke back is a guy named Scottie Scheffler. Perhaps you’ve heard of him. He should be considered the favorite at this point.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Fact or Fiction: Matt Fitzpatrick Is the Top Contender Among British Open Early Leaders.
