Olesen took advantage of fairly decent weather conditions at Royal Portrush to set the bar for the rest of the field on Thursday morning.
Great Dane! Jacob Skov Olesen off to a fast start on day 1 of the 2025 Open Championship
With a respectable 1-under par on the front nine and an impressive 3-under performance on the back, Olesen has got off to quick start at Royal Portrush as the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Shane Lowry and Xander Schaufelle try to catch up to him. Olesen missed a par putt on 18, but played some impressive golf on Thursday morning.
At this point, on Thursday morning, any score at par or lower is very impressive on a course that is forcing golf’s biggest names to show their shot-making skills. Veteran LIV golfer Phil Mickelson had to do just that on hole No. 3 to avoid bogey:
Classic Phil Mickelson. Leaves it in the bunker and then holes it for par. Easy game 👍pic.twitter.com/Uc6NVWeFAN
— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) July 17, 2025
Still a lot of golf to be played
For our readers in the U.S. just waking up, you’ll see some familiar names at the top of the leaderboard, such as Lee Westwood, Matt Fitzpatrick and Scottish Open winner Chris Gotterup. What nobody was expecting was to see J.S. Olesen in the clubhouse at 4-under par.
Chipped in from 23 yards. Jacob Skov Olesen extends his lead with a birdie on 15. pic.twitter.com/KQW8YZe9Qe
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 2025
Weather conditions could make things even tougher for those teeing off later this afternoon with some rain expected to complicate things at Royal Portrush. The pin placements are making it very difficult for players to get anywhere close to the holes, so, as usual, putting and chipping is going to be what players need to hover around par on Thursday.
Who is Jacob Skov Olesen?
The Danish golfer is a rookie on the DP World Tour, where he has three top-tens. The 26-year-old played at the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon, where he finished T-60. He gave up his chance to play as an amateur at the 2025 Masters in order to turn pro this season. “Of course I wanted to be there, but it wasn’t meant to be this time.”
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The rookie golfer has also worked as a caddie this year, helping his girlfirned Darcey Harry in her first win on the Ladies Euopean Tour in Belgium.
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