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The second round of the 2025 British Open had a little bit of everything that makes golf great.
With the cut line looming, the weather was all over the place. There were intermittent periods of pouring rain and sun, but the action was never suspended. This made for some much tougher rounds for those that got to play early, with the curse getting progressively soggier throughout the day.
At one point, there was a three-way tie for first place. Then, Scottie Scheffler emerged from the crowd and shot a 64 in the second round to move into sole possession of first place with a combined 10-under through two rounds.
He is followed by Matt Fitzpatrick (-9) and then Brian Harman and Haotong Li, who each are at 8-under.
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The day wasn't without some controversy. Shane Lowry was practicing a shot from the rough. When his swing connected with the nearby grass, his ball seemed to sink a little further into the rough. While it didn't seem like this would benefit Lowry, his ball did appear to move during the swing, which would be a violation and was reviewed. Lowry was assessed a two-stroke penalty, pushing him to even par after two rounds.
While he isn't close to the top of the leaderboard, Bryson DeChambeau had an incredible second round. He struggled mightily on Thursday and went into the second day of play with a +7. DeChambeau settled down on Friday and put forth an incredible round. He finished the day 6-under, which was tied for the second-best individual round of the day. DeChambeau is 1-over and narrowly made the cut, giving him a chance to ride that momentum into the weekend.
The Sporting News is tracking all the action from Round 3 of the 2025 British Open below.
BRITISH OPEN HQ: Live Open leaderboard | The Open TV coverage | Saturday tee times
British Open leaderboard 2025
| Players | Total score (round) | |
| 1. | Scottie Scheffler | -10 (64) |
| 2. | Matt Fitzpatrick | -9 (66) |
| T3. | Haotong Li | -8 (67) |
| T3. | Brian Harman | -8 (65) |
| T5. | Rasmus Hojgaard | -5 (68) |
| T5. | Robert MacIntyre | -5 (66) |
| T5. | Harris English | -5 (70) |
| T5. | Tyrrell Hatton | -5 (69) |
| T5. | Chris Gotterup | -5 (65) |
| T10. | Tony Finau | -4 (68) |
| T10. | Nicolai Hojgaard | -4 (69) |
| T12. | Keegan Bradley | -3 (67) |
| T12. | Rory McIlroy | -3 (69) |
| T12. | Jordan Smith | -3 (68) |
Click here for the entire 2025 British Open leaderboard
JUMP TO HIGHLIGHTS: Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4
British Open live updates, results, highlights from Saturday's Round 3
All times ET.
Round 3
Live updates will begin around 9 a.m. as leaders tee off.
Round 2
4:03 p.m. -- Lowry's review is complete. He was assessed a two-stroke penalty. Luckily, he still makes the cut after the second round, but he heads into the weekend even par.
3:19 p.m. -- Scottie Scheffler is taking advantage of the clear weather. He sank back-to-back birdies to take sole possession of first place on the leaderboard.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 18, 20252:51 p.m. -- Shane Lowry could be getting penalized. When he was on the 12th hole, his ball moved during his practice swing. It looked like it just buried itself further into the rough. The R&A will be reviewing video footage to see if a penalty is necessary.
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) July 18, 20252:30 p.m. -- Not to jinx what we currently have going, but it is very sunny at the course now. We could be clear the rest of the way today.
Fitzpatrick still on top at 9-under.
1:42 p.m. -- Fitzpatrick was grooving, sinking birdies on four consecutive holes to start the second nine. He bogeyed No. 14, though and came back down to 9-under.
1:25 p.m. -- We were teased with sunshine for a few hours, and now it is pouring again at the British Open. It's nearing the point of surprise that play hasn't been suspended, but they must be hoping that this weather system blows through the area.
1:08 p.m. -- Fitzpatrick didn't allow a three-way tie atop the leaderboard to persist for long. He started his back nine with back-to-back birdies and moved into sole possession of the lead.
12:54 p.m. -- We've got another name at the top of the leaderboard. Matt Fitzpatrick joins Harman and Li at 8-under.
12:31 p.m. -- Scheffler has birdied his last three holes. He is now only one back of the leader.
12:25 p.m. -- Keep an eye on Chris Gotterup. He has two, count them TWO, Eagles today and is 6-under on the day.
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 18, 202511:55 a.m. -- Not to jinx it, but it looks like the sun is starting to come through the clouds.
11:30 a.m. -- We have a new leader! Hoatong Li is through 12 holes and currently has the solo lead, sitting at 9-under.
Haotong Li has the solo lead with this birdie on 12. pic.twitter.com/L0qRzgNjNh
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 18, 202511:10 a.m. -- Shane Lowry's round is underway. He picked up a birdie on the third hole and is in good position to make the cut today.
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 18, 202510:53 a.m. -- Rain continues to fall on the course, but the good news is that it hasn't been hard enough to suspend play...yet.
— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) July 18, 202510:45 a.m. -- It doesn't look fun out there at the moment. Scheffler has to get out of a bunker on two but his third shot means he should be able to two-putt for par. Li looks to be in trouble but hits an astonishing recovery on 10 to about three feed. He should have a share of the lead at any moment.
Tony Finau wraps up a nice round to get into the clubhouse on four under with a share of eighth.
10:35 a.m. -- Fitzpatrick bounces back from those two missed opportunities on two to birdie the fourth and move into third outright. Scottie Scheffler off and running with an opening birdie to move to four under.
10:30 a.m. -- English drains a birdie on 17 to move into a share of third. That group on five under no longer includes Jordan, who makes a rare error with a botched putt on the par-three sixth. Justin Thomas is unable to trouble the hole with his birdie putt on the suddenly sodden 18th green and will head into the weekend on one under.
Oohhh, McIlroy is much closer with his own birdie attempt and taps in to get inside and dry off on three under. Work to do but he'll certainly fancy his chances of being in the conversation on Sunday afternoon.
10:22 a.m. -- Oh boy, the rain has well and truly arrived. It's suddenly absolutely filthy out there at Royal Portrush.
10:07 a.m.-- Justin Rose battles his way to an even par 71 to finish on two under. That gets him a tie for 16th for now, alongside Christiaan Bezuidenhout, the joint first-round leader who struggled to a 73 today. Bryson DeChambeau has recovered from his Thursday horror show to card an imperious six under today, matching Harman's leaderboard-topping efforts. That means Bryson is +1 overall and, against all odds, that should be enough to make the cut.
9:55 a.m -- Li misses a chance for a fourth birdie in seven holes and a share of the lead. He's started like a train. Another of yesterday's stars, Matthew Jordan has sunk a beauty on four to move to five under. That's the same sort as Harris English, who might be about to drop shots as he hacks his way around 15.
9:40 a.m. -- Harman finishes in style with a birdie on the last. That's a six under 65 today, the best four of the tournament so far, eight under par overall and the outright lead for now. Fitzpatrick is underway with a birdie to move to five under.
9:30 a.m. -- Li gets a share of the lead! The Chinese player is three under through six today and onto minus seven alongside Harman after plonking his tee shot on the par three sixth next to the hole. His fellow overnight leader Matt Fitzpatrick is underway with a dreamy tee shot off that perilous first tee.
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 18, 2025Ludvig Aberg just played a glorious approach to 15 that should see him join the cluster on three under. McIlory is among their number once again, while McIntyre has just dropped his first shot of the day on 16. Harman is safely away off the tee on the last.
9:05 a.m. -- Rasmus Hojgaard ends his round with a magnificent long-range birdie, carding 68 and sitting as the clubhouse leader on five under overall. Tony Finau moved to four under with an eagle on 12. That places him one shy of what is currently a five-way tie for second. Harman still two clear.
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 18, 20258:40 a.m. -- Back-to-back birdies and MacIntryre is on the charge thanks to an exquisite two on 13. A scruffy 12th from Hatton means he's back in a four-way tie for second alongside Li. English and MacIntyre. Harman is two clear again. Meanwhile, Bryson DeChambeau has given himself a chance of making the cut. He's four under for the day through 13 and threee over for the tournament. Two-over is the projected cut line at the moment.
8:25 a.m -- Hatton birdies 13 to go second outright. With conditions set fair over their final five holes it feels like a chance for him and Harman to put the hammer down. Haotong Li, one of the overnight leaders, is down to five under after a birdie four on the second. Robert MacIntyre is about to go tied fifth on four under after a beautiful chip onto the 12th green.
8:10 a.m. -- Harman drains a fabulous birdie put on 13 for a two-stroke lead. The first time today we've had any daylight at the top of the leaderboard. Meanwhile, Justin Rose is all the way back to level par after a triple bogey seven on 11. Links golf, baby!
8:00 a.m. -- Harman is out in front on his own once more and Hojgaard has slipped back into the pack on four under. A three-putt on 15 gave him back-to-back bogey fives. His tee shot on 16 also looks problematic. English and Hatton tied for second, with the latter's putter running pretty hot.
Keegan Bradley remains on the move and has joined the cluster of players tied for seventh on three under, three shots behind Harman.
7:35 a.m. -- Jacob Skov Olesen was among the five players tied for the overnight lead on four under. He's back to level par after an utter nightmare on the first that amounted to a quadruple bogey eight. Yikes.
7:15 a.m. -- The lead changes hands again as back-to-back birdies from Rasmus Hojgaard on 12 and 13 move him to six under. After going out in 33, Harman levels things up with the Dane by gaining a shot at 10. Tyrell Hatton, who finished sixth when the Open last took place on this course in 2019, is third on five under. Keegan Bradley is putting together a solid round and is minus three through 13 today, two under for the tournament.
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 18, 20256:40 a.m. -- English slips back on four and 2023 Open Champion Brian Harman is the outright leader, moving to five uinder at the seventh. McIlroy's maddening round continues as he cards a bogey five at the fifth, moving him back out to one under.
6:15 a.m -- We have an outright leader, with Harris English taking the birdie opportunity on the par-five second. The South African was within a whisker of extending his advantage on the third.
McIlroy's up-and-down round continues as he follows a bogey on three with a birdie on four. That was the first hole parred by Fleetwood today after picking up a shot on each of the first three holes to move to one under.
5:50 a.m. -- McIlroy has scrambled to save par despite ploughing his drive into thick rough and taking a penalty drop. On the one hand, he misses out on a birdie opportunity that you expect will be gleefully taken by several men this morning, his playing partner Fleetwood for one, but it's very impressive damage limitation.
Justin Rose is one off the lead after a birdie on four. Hojgaard dropped a shot at seven but bounced straight back to return to four under. His drive on nine is wayward, though.
5:25 a.m. -- Rasmus Hojgaard is now one of seven players with a share of the lead. The Dane is two under through six today and we can expect plenty of morning movement, with the players out before lunchtime set to enjoy the better of the conditions.
Make that eight players sharing the lead, after Tyrell Hatton bangs in a birdie but on three. Oh, and here comes Rory! McIlroy trails a birdie of his own, far removed from his trials on the first yesterday, and is down to two under. Ryder Cup team-mate Tommy Fleetwood also trims his score to +1 with a birdie three to start.
5:10 a.m. -- Hello, and welcome to our live coverage of Round 2 of the Open Championship from Royal Portrush. There is now a seven-way tie for the lead, with Brian Harman joining the leaders after making birdie at each of the first two holes. Harris English is the next of the leaders out on the course in 10 minutes at 10:20 a.m. local time.
But now, here's the man they've all come to see. Masters champion Rory McIlroy is slightly to the left off the first tee, into the light rough. But on a perilous hole with out of bounds on either side of the fairway, he won't mind that.
Round 1
5:00 p.m. -- Today's action is wrapped. Round 2 will get underway on Friday at 1:35 a.m. ET as the battle for the cut line begins.
4:15 p.m. -- After parring on 18, McIlroy finished the round 1-under, and is sitting in a tie for 20th.
3:38 p.m. -- DeChambeau is going to have his work cut out for him in the second round. He heads into the 18th hole sitting at 6-over on the day, and will have to make up ground on Friday to make the cut.
3:15 p.m. -- English bogeyed No. 14 to re-join the pack at 4-under.
2:43 p.m. -- We have seen a crazy number of hole-outs from the first one. This one from McIlroy comes just short, keeping him at 1-under. Harris English has finally been the one to break the barrier and is 5-under through 12.
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 20252:15 p.m. -- Harris English with his whopping sixth birdie of the day, and this one helps him tie the leaders of the first round.
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 20251:30 p.m. -- Tom Kim is trying to make a run toward the top of the leaderboard. This impressive putt will certainly help.
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 20251:12 p.m. -- Justin Thomas picked up back-to-back birdies, as he holed out from just off the green on No. 8. Unfortunately, those results were immediately erased by a double bogey on No. 9.
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 202512:51 p.m. -- McIlroy had a rough start to his first round at the 2025 British Open. He missed three of his first four fairways out of the tee box, but kept miraculously recovering not to fall down the leaderboard. McIlroy nearly holed out on the par-5 number 7 and the birdie moves him to 2-under early.
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 202512:26 p.m. -- We heard a lot about the high rough at the U.S. Open at Oakmont this year. It didn't prepare Bryson DeChambeau for the overgrown hills at the British Open. Here he is in the thick of it, barely contracting his ball. Not only did it count as a stroke, but when DeChambeau finally contacted the ball, it only went a few feet to his left, getting at least into the lighter rough.
— Golf Clips (@clips_golf) July 17, 202511:40 a.m. -- Rai moves to a share of the lead! Back-to-back birdies move the Englishman to -4 for the day.
11:24 a.m. -- Lucas Glover, the 2009 U.S. Open champion, is 3-3-3 through the opening three holes. Aaron Rai, who has recently climbed back to a career high of 20th in the world, is also one stroke off the lead.
11:15 a.m. -- Take a bow, Angel Hidalgo!
Angel Hidalgo cards the third eagle of the day on 7 with a 32-foot putt. pic.twitter.com/flJlXA3uoB
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 202510:52 a.m. -- Rahm signs off for the day with a 70. To be just three shots back of the lead after dealing with those early weather conditions is a solid return. Meanwhile, McIlroy recovers with a birdie putt at the second after that initial mishap.
Lowry, the defending course champion, also cards a -1 finish. Scheffler's birdie putt on the 18th swerves wide, so he will end the round just one shot off the leaders. Ominous.
10:44 a.m. -- A magnificent putt from Lowry gets him back in the red with one hole to play. Rahm is on track to finish below par, too. Scheffler picks up a shot at the 17th and is now one off the lead. Some of the big guns are moving...
10:36 a.m. -- Scheffler is barely an inch from finding the hole with a long approach at 17. What a shot that was. These later groups could well take advantage of the improving weather conditions out here.
10:32 a.m. -- McIlroy starts with a bogey from barely three feet. There's not much more than a murmur from the crowd. Best to chalk that one up to early jitters, and move on.
10:16 a.m. -- Rory McIlroy gets a big cheer as he tees off. He finds some treacherous long grass but gets out of trouble with a brilliant approach. Tommy Fleetwood, another decent pick to challenge here, is also off and running.
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 20259:51 a.m. -- Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Rose get their rounds underway. It's now 27 years since the Englishman finished in fourth place at this championship as an amateur. He couldn't, could he?
9:29 a.m. -- A birdie for Fitzpatrick gives the 2022 U.S. Open champion a share of the lead with two holes to play.
9:19 a.m. -- Jordan makes par on 18 and is into the clubhouse with a 68, one behind the leaders.
9:10 a.m. -- Agonising for Shane Lowry, who was victorious before a vociferous home crowd on this course at the 2019 Open. His put for birdie on 11 pulls up on the rim. The Irishman remains three shots back. Meanwhile, Sergio Garcia is on the march as back-to-back birdies take him to two under.
9:02 a.m. -- Matthew Jordan holds his nerve to make par at 17. It's been a superb round from the Englishman, who remains in a share of third with Fitzpatrick and Kaewkanjana, one off the lead.
8:42 a.m. -- Scheffler drops a shot at the 11th to fall back to one under, but this has still been a good first round. Brooks Koepka makes birdie at the next hole to move to +2 for the day.
8:13 a.m. -- Thailand's Sadom Kaewkanjana is storming up the leaderboard. A sensational eagle putt on the fifth has him at -3 through the opening six holes.
It was almost as good as this from Darren Clarke.
Keeping the home crowds happy.
Darren Clarke with a moment of magic. pic.twitter.com/Jkzp60CXFt
7:48 a.m. -- That's a horrible bounce for Schauffele, who digs his approach out of the sodden rough only to see the ball cannon back off the lip of a rise near the ninth green. It does look like the rain is easing, if that's any consolation.
7:40 a.m. -- Haotong Li is on for a 67 without a single dropped shot. A terrific day's work from the Chinese. His previous best performance at the Open came back in 2017, when he finished third, six behind winner Jordan Spieth.
7:34 a.m -- Oh no, Lee Westwood! A routine par putt at the 14th bobbles wide, and he falls to -3 for the day. After not dropping a shot in the whole round to that point, that's a real kick in the teeth.
7:31 a.m -- "No, no... NO!" exclaims Lowry as his tee shot at the eighth swerves just a little too much and lands on the edge of the rough. Could've been worse, Shane. Meanwhile, the big screens out on the course are warning of a potential risk of thunderstorms. We'll keep an eye on that...
7:22 a.m. -- Colin Morikawa digs out a good approach from right in front of the spectators at the seventh. One thing is clear from the massed umbrellas behind him: the rain is hammering down right now. Those changeable conditions have settled into typically glorious UK coastal summer weather.
7:15 a.m. -- Disappointment for Olesen as he bogies the 18th, but that shouldn't detract from an excellent first round here. Westwood could get the clubhouse lead if he continues his form, though. And don't sleep on Lowry and Rahm — they're two under, error-free and on the march.
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 20257:04 a.m. -- Lee Westwood is on the march. His blemish-free round continues with a birdie at the 12th. Olesen shanked his tee shot at the 18th but ended up with a decent lie. He should come through at -5 at least.
6:52 a.m. -- Chris Gotterup moves into a tie for fourth with a birdie at the 12th. Mickelson, rain coat discarded, is looking to get back below par before he finishes for the day. Sam Burns is at -1 after dropping a shot at the fifth. It's been a good start for much of the American contingent.
6:28 a.m. -- Olesen now sits at -5 through 16 holes. Li and Westwood are two strokes back. Shane Lowry, champion here the last time the Open was held at Portrush six years ago, is level with Scheffler and Schauffele at one under through the first four.
Chipped in from 23 yards. Jacob Skov Olesen extends his lead with a birdie on 15. pic.twitter.com/KQW8YZe9Qe
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 20256:00 a.m. -- Olesen still leads at the 13th. Scottie Scheffler makes the most of a brilliant tee shot at the third to join a large group tied for -1. The weather conditions might be changeable, but there are some good scores being built in this opening round.
5:46 a.m. -- Jacob Skov Olesen is the first man at -4 today after an eagle at the 12th. After a front nine of one under, this is quite some first round from the Dane.
5:35 a.m. -- "CAPTAIN AMERICA!" comes the cry from a spectator as Patrick Reed tees off. The ball ends up buried in the hardy grasses to the left of the fairway. Not much to marvel at.
5:30 a.m. -- Defending champ Xander Schauffele overcooks his shot from the fairway on the second. Local broadcasters apologise for the language as he offers his, er, honest opinion on that shot. He might struggle to get up and down out of the rough to make par there.
5:24 a.m. -- We'll update the above leaderboard at the top of the hour, once we have a few more of the select groups out on the course. Lee Westwood has just missed an eagle putt by inches, but a (presumably!) easy birdie will take him to -3, which is a super start in these blustery conditions.
5:09 a.m. -- The early leaderboard has Phil Mickelson in a tie for first at -2. Among that group is Matt Fitzpatrick, who picked up a double birdie on the par-five second.
At the other end, spare a thought for veteran K.J. Choi, who is at +9 through the first 12 holes.
5:00 a.m. -- Good morning and welcome to Open weekend! Play started at Royal Portrush a few hours ago, but the main groups will be teeing off from around 10 a.m. local time.
What channel is the British Open on today?
- TV channel: USA Network
- TV broadcast times: 4 a.m.-3:30 p.m. ET
- Live streams: Peacock, Fubo
The British Open will air live on USA Network for the first two days of the tournament before shifting to NBC for Rounds 3-4. Televised coverage begins at 4 a.m. ET on Thursday and Friday, with Mike Tirico, Dan Hicks, Terry Gannon, Steve Sands and Tom Abbott on play-by-play. NBC's coverage for Saturday and Sunday begins at 7 a.m. ET.
Peacock will have live-streaming coverage throughout the tournament showcasing two morning groups and two afternoon groups each day. Peacock-exclusive programming also includes a Par-3 channel featuring the 6th and 16th holes.
You can also stream every round of the British Open live with Fubo, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
Here is the full breakdown of the British Open TV schedule (all times Eastern):
| Date | Peacock only | USA Network | NBC/Peacock |
| Thursday, July 17 | 1:30-4 a.m. | 4 a.m.-3:30 p.m. | — |
| Friday, July 18 | 1:30-4 a.m. | 4 a.m.-3:30 p.m. | — |
| Saturday, July 19 | — | 5-7 a.m. | 7 a.m.-3 p.m. |
| Sunday, July 20 | — | 4-7 a.m. | 7 a.m.-2 p.m. |
British Open tee times Saturday
Here are the complete British Open tee times for play on Saturday. All times ET.
| Pairing | Time |
| Matti Schmid and Corey Conners | 4:35 a.m. |
| Sepp Straka and Hideki Matsuyama | 4:45 a.m. |
| Takumi Kanaya and Adrien Saddier | 4:55 a.m. |
| Sebastian Soderberg and Henrik Stenson | 5:05 a.m. |
| Thomas Detry and Jacob Skov Olsen | 5:15 a.m. |
| Nathan Kimsey and Bryson DeChambeau | 5:25 a.m. |
| Maverick McNealy and Thriston Lawrence | 5:35 a.m. |
| Justin Leonard and John Parry | 5:45 a.m. |
| Andrew Novak and Sergio Garcia | 6 a.m. |
| Jesper Svensson and Francesco Molinari | 6:10 a.m. |
| Riki Kawamoto and Wyndham Clark | 6:20 a.m. |
| Shane Lowry and Jon Rahm | 6:30 a.m. |
| JJ Spaun and Dustin Johnson | 6:40 a.m. |
| Phil Mickelson and Jhonattan Vegas | 6:50 a.m. |
| Viktor Hovland and Jordan Spieth | 7 a.m. |
| Russell Henley and Antoine Rozner | 7:15 a.m. |
| Romain Langasque and Daniel Berger | 7:25 a.m. |
| Sungjae Im and Dean Burmester | 7:35 a.m. |
| Matt Wallace and Akshay Bhatia | 7:45 a.m. |
| Jason Kokrak and Lucas Glover | 7:55 a.m. |
| Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Thomas | 8:05 a.m. |
| Aaron Rai and Rickie Fowler | 8:15 a.m. |
| Marc Leishman and Oliver Lindell | 8:30 a.m. |
| Ryggs Johnston and Xander Schauffele | 8:40 a.m. |
| Kristoffer Reitan and Matthew Jordan | 8:50 a.m. |
| Ludvig Aberg and Justin Rose | 9 a.m. |
| Harry Hall and Christian Bezuidenhout | 9:10 a.m. |
| Sam Burns and Lee Westwood | 9:20 a.m. |
| Jordan Smith and Rory McIlroy | 9:30 a.m. |
| Keegan Bradley and Nicolai Hojgaard | 9:45 a.m. |
| Tony Finau and Chris Gotterup | 9:55 a.m. |
| Harris English and Robert MacIntyre | 10:05 a.m. |
| Tyrrell Hatton and Rasmus Hojgaard | 10:15 a.m. |
| Haotong Li and Brian Harman | 10:25 a.m. |
| Matt Fitzpatrick and Scottie Scheffler | 10:35 a.m. |
English (US)