Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry face long waits before Open campaigns start

Tom McKibbin will be the first Irish golfer in action when the opening round commences on Thursday

LATE START: Rory McIlroy during a preview day ahead of The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in Southport. Pic: David Davies/PA Wire.

Rory McIlroy faces a long wait to get his Open Championship under way after being handed a late draw on Thursday at Royal Birkdale.

The reigning Masters champion and world number two will not go out until 3.15pm alongside 2024 winner Xander Schauffele and Ryder Cup team-mate Matt Fitzpatrick in the marquee afternoon group.

By then he will have seen how defending champion Scottie Scheffler has fared as the world number one, who missed his first cut in four years at the Scottish Open on Friday, is out at 9.58am.

The American, seeking to become the first player to successfully defend the Claret Jug since Padraig Harrington at the Southport links in 2008, goes out with compatriot Bryson DeChambeau, seeking to avoid an unwanted calendar year grand slam of missed cuts in majors, and another English hope in Tyrrell Hatton.

Immediately behind them will be Southport-born Tommy Fleetwood, Jordan Spieth – the last winner of a Birkdale Open – and two-time major winner Jon Rahm.

Justin Rose, who finished tied-fourth as an amateur at the venue in 1998 – is alongside Ryder Cup team-mate Viktor Hovland and Russell Henley at 9.36am, while US PGA champion Aaron Rai, another looking to end an English drought at the Open stretching back to 1992, is grouped with 2019 winner Shane Lowry and five-time major champion Brooks Koepka at 2.53pm.

Royal Birkdale member Matt Baldwin, who came through final qualifying, has been given the honour of hitting the opening tee shot at 6.35am.

Tom McKibbin will be the first Irish golfer in action when the opening round commences as the 23-year-old starts at 8.03am alongside Francesco Molinari and French amateur Lev Grinberg.