HOME HERO: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland made a late birdie for a 70 and was three shots behind. The last time he played the British Open at Royal Portrush, he made an 8 on the first hole, shot 79 and wound up missing the cut.

Two days after the eye-opening deep riff on the meaning of life that world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler delivered in his pre-tournament press conference, he posted a 3-under-par 68 in the first round of the British Open Thursday at Portrush.

Spieth entered Portrush with four straight top-25 Open finishes, so there should be plenty of confidence that he turns in a much better round on Friday. Making up a six-shot deficit will be tough, but if Spieth can get to even-par, or even one-under, he'll have a shot to get into the top 10 before the weekend.

In a now-viral speech, Scottie Scheffler questioned the fulfillment of winning tournaments and why it matters at Royal Portrush Golf Club ahead of the British Open.

The World No. 1 opened with a 3-under 68 despite hitting just three fairways in sometimes-sideways rain at Royal Portrush.

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Open Championship returns to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, the site of Shane Lowry's triumph in 2019. As has been the case all year, the strong favorites entering the tournament are Scottie Scheffler (9/2) and Rory McIlroy (7-1).

Chris Gotterup may have secured his FedEx Cup playoff spot by winning the Genesis Scottish Open, jumping from 88th to 39th in the standings. Scottie Scheffler maintains a substantial lead in the FedEx Cup standings despite Rory McIlroy gaining ground.