Suber shares lead as Open Championship contenders face early starts at Royal Birkdale
Jackson Suber tees off at 2:30 a.m. ET, while Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler navigate challenging morning and midday windows in the second round.
The 2026 Open Championship enters its second round on Friday at Royal Birkdale, with the R&A seeking to crown a new Champion Golfer of the Year. The field of 156 competitors is contesting a share of the tournament’s enhanced $17.5 million prize purse, following a first round that saw American Jackson Suber emerge as the surprise leader.
Suber, a 26-year-old who had not previously won on the PGA Tour or visited Europe prior to this event, shares the lead at five under par after carding a 65. This marks his only career round at The Open Championship. He is scheduled to tee off at 2:30 a.m. ET (7:30 a.m. local time) alongside Sami Valimaki and Shaun Norris, offering an opportunity to extend his advantage in the early morning conditions.
The pressure mounts for notable contenders facing early starts. Cameron Young, three under par, is set to play at 4:58 a.m. ET with Wyndham Clark, who is three over, and Ludvig Åberg, one over. Both Clark and Åberg face significant work to ensure they secure a weekend tee time.
In the group following, pretournament favourites Rory McIlroy, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Xander Schauffele will tee off at 5:09 a.m. ET. McIlroy, who carded a two-over 72 on Thursday, is described as being in a precarious position and risks elimination if he fails to improve his score. Fitzpatrick and Schauffele are also looking to recover, sitting at two over and one over respectively.
Later in the day, Bryson DeChambeau, Scottie Scheffler, and Tyrrell Hatton will begin their rounds at 10:04 a.m. ET. DeChambeau and Scheffler are in contention at three under and two under par, while Hatton sits one under. They are followed by Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm, and Jordan Spieth at 10:15 a.m. ET, with Fleetwood hoping to leverage hometown fan support to move up the leaderboard.
The complete schedule for the second round spans from 1:35 a.m. to 11:21 a.m. ET, covering the entire field. CBS Sports has released the full broadcast schedule and coverage guide for the final 54 holes, ensuring viewers can track the action as the tournament progresses toward the weekend rounds.
