Royal Birkdale is already going absolutely bonkers at The Open 2026. Thursday's action was all over the place, I'm talking seriously wild stuff. Rory McIlroy, one of golf's biggest names, stacked up six bogeys. Six! And get this, the current leader, Jackson Suber, is playing only his sixth round of links golf *ever*. You can't make this stuff up. The defending champ started strong, then cooled off after just six holes, adding to the chaos. This tournament is already delivering massive drama, and it's only Friday morning.
The Leaderboard Is Absolutely Bananas Right Now
Look at this leaderboard to start Friday's second round, it's wild. Jackson Suber is sitting pretty at **-5 F**, leading the pack. Who saw that coming? Not me! Tied for second at **-4 F** are Sungjae Im and Daniel Brown. Then we've got a whole crew at **-3 F**, including names like Thomas Detry, Robert MacIntyre, Francesco Molinari, Alex Smalley, Bryson DeChambeau, Ryan Gerard, MJ Daffue, Pierceson Coody, and Cameron Young. This isn't your typical Open start, that's for sure. The projected cut line is floating around, so every shot counts with so many guys bunched up.Friday's Action and What's Coming Up
If you're on the West Coast, you better have your coffee ready or be pulling an all-nighter for some of these Friday tee times! We've got Suber out early at 2:30 a.m. ET, then Robert MacIntyre, Rickie Fowler, and Alex Fitzpatrick hit the course at 7:25 a.m. ET. Sungjae Im and Dan Brown tee off at 7:47 a.m. ET, and later in the morning, Scottie Scheffler, Tyrrell Hatton, and Bryson DeChambeau are out there at 10:04 a.m. ET. You can catch all the action on NBC Sports Network/Peacock from 1:30-4 a.m. ET, then USA Network/Peacock from 4 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET. And get this: the weather in Southport is clear, 76 degrees, partly sunny with wind gusts up to 22 mph. Warm and sunny all week? That's super rare for an Open. The winner on Sunday takes home a massive **$3.2 million**, part of a **$17.75 million** total purse, the biggest in Open history. Can you believe it's still the smallest prize fund of the four men's majors, though? What a crazy sport. We've got a long way to go before someone hoists that Claret Jug, but if Thursday was any indication, it's gonna be a ride!This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.