McIlroy Draws Late Open Start With Schauffele and Fitzpatrick at Royal Birkdale

What happened: Sky News reports that Rory McIlroy has been given a late start for the opening round of The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale. He has been grouped with Xander Schauffele and Matt Fitzpatrick for the first two rounds, creating one of the most closely watched early pairings of the championship.

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The same report says Scottie Scheffler is on the opposite side of the draw. That is the key competitive detail beyond the names themselves, because Open Championship draws can become part of the tournament story before a shot is hit. Morning and afternoon waves can face different wind, firmness, rain windows, and scoring conditions, especially on a links course.

Why it matters: McIlroy's late opening time gives his Thursday a different shape. A later start can offer more information about how Royal Birkdale is playing, where the misses are, and what early scores are realistic. It can also mean a player begins with the leaderboard already formed, which changes the psychology of the first round. The source does not state the weather forecast or exact tee time in the supplied summary, so the draw advantage or disadvantage cannot be called yet.

Tournament impact: The McIlroy-Schauffele-Fitzpatrick group matters because it concentrates attention and pressure in one three-ball. Schauffele and Fitzpatrick bring major-championship credibility, and playing partners can influence tempo even when each player is competing against the full field. If scoring conditions split between waves, the comparison with Scheffler's side of the draw will be one of the early Open subplots.

What to watch: The first checkpoint is not just McIlroy's score, but how the late wave compares with the early starters. If Royal Birkdale plays tougher later in the day, even a steady round could age well. If conditions soften or scoring improves, McIlroy's group may be expected to attack more. The second checkpoint is Friday's reversal, because the first two rounds together decide whether the draw created a real scoring gap or just a talking point.

Confidence: Confirmed by the source are McIlroy's late opening-round start, his grouping with Xander Schauffele and Matt Fitzpatrick for the first two rounds, Royal Birkdale as the venue, and Scheffler being on the opposite side of the draw. Still unclear from the supplied facts are the precise tee times, weather conditions, course setup, and whether either wave will gain a measurable advantage.