Start times, highlights and more

The last men’s golf major of the year is here as the first round of 2023 British Open gets underway at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England.

There will be 156 golfers teeing off on Thursday, including all three major winners this year: Jon Rahm (Masters), Brooks Koepka (PGA Championship) and Wyndham Clark (US Open). Reigning champion Cameron Smith will also be back to defend his title.

Most of the golfing world will also see Rory McIlroy, who won the British Open in 2014, the last time the tournament was played at Royal Liverpool. That tournament also marks the last time McIlroy won a major championship.

Follow USA TODAY Sports for first-round Open Championship action from Royal Liverpool:

How to watch the 2023 Open Championship

Coverage starts on Thursday at 1:30 a.m. ET on the Peacock streaming service. USA Network will have live television coverage at 4 a.m. ET until 15.00, with Peacock resuming coverage until 4 p.m

LIVE LEADERBOARD: The Open Championship Tournament Leaderboard results, schedules, pairings and more

Individual golfers can be followed on live stream at Peacock from 1:30 to 4 in the morning and from 15:00 to 16:00

The Americans show strong in the first round

Jordan Spieth, looking for his first major title since the 2017 Open, looked strong on the back end with birdies on 15 and 16. Stewart Cink (3-under), US Open champion Wyndham Clark (2-under) and Patrick Reed (1-under) remain within striking distance of leader Christo Lamprecht, an amateur who went 5-6 under par.

Other notables struggling include Bryson DeChambeau, who had two bogeys and a double bogey over his first 10 holes.

Twinning at the British Open

Nicolai and Rasmus Højgaard are the first set of twins to ever compete at the British Open. The twins from Denmark, who are two minutes apart, turned professional in 2019 and both also competed at this year’s PGA Championship, with Rasmus missing the cut and Nicolai tied for 50th. So far in the first round at the Brits, Rasmus is near the bottom of the leaderboard at 6-over and Nicolai is at 1-under.

They join another set of brothers Matt and Alex Fitzpatrick competing for the Claret Jug, the first time two sets of brothers have been in the field since 1985.

Super slow-mo from the bunker

Watch this incredible bunker shot from Cam Smith in slow-mo.

A day to remember for Christo Lamprecht

Amateur champion Christo Lamprecht gets off to a fantastic start and goes to the clubhouse with The Open in the lead. The South African birdied the 18th hole to finish 5-under for a 66 – the 2nd lowest opening round by an amateur in The Open Championship history. Only Tom Lewis in 2011 (65) was better. Lamprecht is also the first amateur to shoot a round in the 60s in an Open at Royal Liverpool.

Christo Lamprecht on 4-under at 14

Amateur champion Christo Lamprecht had quite an opening round. He was in the lead at 4-under after birdieing the par-4 14th hole:

Players will compete for the record purse at the 2023 Open Championship

The R&A announced the prize money payouts for the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, 19-23. July, where the 2023 Champion Golfer of the Year will receive the highest earnings in championship history.

The man who hoists the Claret Jug at the end of the week will walk away with $3 million, while second ($1,708,000) and third ($1,095,000) will also make seven figures. The total purse will be $16.5 million, an 18% increase from 2022. –Adam Woodard, Golfweek

LIVE golfers at the British Open

There will be 16 members of LIV Golf in the field this week when the Open begins on Thursday, which will tie for the second most LIV players in any of the four major championships this year. The PGA Championship had 17 LIV players.

Of the LIV Golf members in the field are four former champions: Phil Mickelson, Louis Oosthuizen, Henrik Stenson and defending champion Cameron Smith, who got a great reception on the first tee.

Here are the LIV golfers at the 2023 Open Championship:

Abraham Ancer
Richard Bland
Laurie Canter
Bryson DeChambeau
Talor Gooch
Brand Grace
Dustin Johnson
Brooks Koepka
Phil Mickelson
Joaquin Niemann
Louis Oosthuizen
Thomas Peters
Patrick Reed
Charles Schwartzel
Cameron Smith
Henrik Stenson

— Garry Smits, Florida Times-Union

Will Tiger Woods play in the 2023 Open Championship?

No. Woods had to withdraw from the Masters due to an ankle injury that later required surgery, likely ending his 2023 season. He officially withdrew from the British Open in June.

What is the weather forecast for Thursday?

The wind from the Irish Sea can be fierce either in the morning or in the afternoon, or it can be relatively calm. Therefore, the weather is expected to play its usual leading role in the British Open. However, the forecast is for a dry start to the Open week on Thursday with mainly moderate winds and a slight chance of isolated showers later in the day. –Steve Gardner

Hole by hole distances and par

Here is the course layout for Royal Liverpool:

No. 1: Par 4, 459 yards
No. 2: Par 4, 453 yards
No. 3: Par 4, 426 yards
No. 4: Par 4, 367 yards
No. 5: Par 5, 520 yards
No. 6: Par 3, 201 yards
No. 7: Par 4, 481 yards
No. 8: Par 4, 436 yards
No. 9: Par 3, 218 yards
No. 10: Par 4, 507 yards
No. 11: Par 4, 392 yards
No. 12: Par 4, 449 yards
No. 13: Par 3, 194 yards
No. 14: Par 4, 454 yards
No. 15: Par 5, 620 yards
No. 16: Par 4, 461 yards
No. 17: Par 3, 136 yards
No. 18: Par 5, 609 yards

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