2026 Open takeaways: Rory McIlroy's struggle proves interpretive Royal Birkdale will remain tough test

The 2026 Open Championship got underway at Royal Birkdale in England, with Rory McIlroy struggling on the opening day as the leaderboard began to take shape. The course proved to be a stern test for players, with multiple interpretations of how to play the links layout yielding different results on Thursday. McIlroy's difficult round highlighted the challenging nature of Royal Birkdale as a major championship venue.