The first round of the 2025 Open Championship is officially in the books. What was the biggest surprise Thursday at Royal Portrush?

SportsLine's model simulated the 2025 British Open 10,000 times and revealed its PGA Tour golf picks for Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and others from Royal Portrush

Heading into the Open, English, ranked 19th in the world, was enjoying a strong campaign. Winless since 2021, he notched his fifth tour victory in January’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. In the PGA at Quail Hollow, the Georgia native charged with a 65 on Sunday and tied for second in Scottie Scheffler’s dominating victory.

The first day of the 2025 Open Championship is expected to be rainy, with periods of heavy rain that could accumulate up to a quarter of an inch. The high temperature is expected to be around 69 degrees, with a low of 57 degrees, and winds will range from 10 to 20 miles per hour, according to The Weather Channel.

SportsLine golf expert Eric Cohen locked in a $10 eight-leg PGA Tour parlay that would return nearly $1.1 million for the British Open 2025

Explore the top contenders for the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush, where golf’s biggest names chase the Claret Jug.

Our Open Championship best bets and predictions call for an undervalued winner this weekend at Royal Portrush.

The simplest one is to wager on the in-form golfers, a list led by Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler. McIlroy may get the nod over Scheffler in some circles this week because he's playing on home soil at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.