After 18 holes at the 2025 British Open, eyes tend to go to to the top of the leaderboard but also the projected cut line.

That's what is on the line this week at the 2025 Open Championship as Royal Portrush hosts the final major of the season in Northern Ireland. Returning to the par 71 for the first time since 2019 -- only the third time The Open has ever been held outside of Scotland or England -- the R&A has set up a tournament that will do its best to identify the man most equipped to deal with the elements and emotional toll one experiences across four rounds of major championship golf.

Rory McIlroy shot 1-under 70 in the first round of the British Open at Royal Portrush that is also serving as a homecoming for the Northern Irish star