The Open Championship’s Friday schedule at Royal Birkdale is now set, and the most watched grouping belongs to Scottie Scheffler. After opening with a two-under 68, the defending champion will tee off at 10:04 a.m. ET on Friday alongside Tyrrell Hatton and Bryson DeChambeau in the second round.
It is the kind of tee sheet that gives the day immediate shape. Scheffler arrives in better position than he was at the Genesis Scottish Open, where he missed the cut last week — a result that stood out because it was the first time he had not played the weekend of a pro event since 2022. At Royal Birkdale, though, his opening round suggested a quick reset: he made four birdies over his first six holes, then added bogeys at the 7th and 17th before signing for 68.
The context around that score matters. Scheffler entered the week as the betting favorite, and he is still chasing a second straight Open title and a fifth major victory. That makes Friday’s early-afternoon window in the USA especially relevant for viewers tracking the most important player in the field and the strongest challengers around him.
Why this grouping matters
DeChambeau’s opening 67 only adds to the interest. He already proved on Thursday that Royal Birkdale can reward aggressive scoring, while Hatton brings another layer of quality to a group that should offer a clear read on where Scheffler stands after 36 holes. In a tournament where momentum can change quickly, the tee times themselves become part of the story: who is paired together, when they go out, and whether the favorite can build on a solid start.
For readers following the championship in real time, the answer is simple: Scheffler’s Round 2 tee time is 10:04 a.m. ET, and the featured grouping is Scheffler, Hatton and DeChambeau at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England. The Open may be a 54-hole test from here, but Friday’s schedule already points to one of the most closely watched stretches of the week.
