Phil Mickelson avoided most of the rain to card a 1-under 70 for his best opening round at an Open Championship since 2016.

The Open Championship 2025 had a contingent of 19 LIV Golf pros, but eight of them missed the cut. While Tyrrell Hatton, Lee Westwood, Marc Leishman, and Jason Kokrak were in contention, big names such as Brooks Koepka, Joaquin Niemann, and Cameron Smith failed to make it to the weekend at Royal Portrush.

Earlier in the week, YouTube golf star Grant Horvat announced he was declining a spot in this week's PGA Tour opposite-field event, the Barracuda Championship. The reason? The tour wouldn't allow his crew to film it. Here was his explanation:

Phil Mickelson got a horrible break early at the 2025 Open Championship but saved himself with a bunker hole-out to briefly take the lead.

Phil Mickelson was flying high on Thursday at Royal Portrush, posting a solid 1-under 70 at the opening round of the 153rd British Open.

Phil Mickelson reflected on the challenging conditions at Royal Portrush after finishing his second round at the 2025 Open Championship on Friday, July 18.

Phil Mickelson didn’t make a bogey over his first nine holes Thursday at The Open, assisted by a hole-out par save at the third. The 2013 Open champion hit his tee shot into a greenside bunker on the 167-yard, par 3 hole. After leaving his second shot in there, he holed his third.

Phil Mickelson's ambitious idea to expand the LIV Golf tour has been mocked by golf followers as the US star prepares to compete in The Open Championship at Portrush

Lift a pint of Guinness or three to the likes of Lee Westwood, Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia, all of whom are well past their respective primes and yet all broke par in Thursday’s first round of the British Open at Portrush.