Where can I find the official full tee times and groupings?

The R&A’s official website and The Open app publish the complete Round 1 tee times and pairings, updated for withdrawals and local adjustments.

Do morning or afternoon tee times have an advantage at Royal Birkdale?

It depends on the day’s wind and tide: mornings often offer firmer conditions and steadier winds, while afternoons can bring stronger, variable winds or softer fairways—each favors different skill sets.

Which R1 groups are most important to watch?

Watch the marquee trios of top-ranked players for head-to-head comparisons and the mid-morning groups for potential stable starts; those clusters will signal who handles Birkdale’s early tests best.

The Guru: Who Opens Strong — R1 Groupings and Tee Times Unpacked for Royal Birkdale

The R&A has published full Round 1 groupings and tee times for Royal Birkdale, and the draw already tells a story about wind, tide and temperament. Tee sheets stretch from early-morning starters through an extended afternoon wave, meaning weather windows will split the field more brutally than usual. The course is as much a chessboard as a golf course: who tees off when matters as much as who you’re paired with.

Among the headline pairings, the marquee groups are clustered so that big names will tee under identical conditions, offering direct comparisons from the first hole. Notable groupings include a heavyweight trio of Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm and Collin Morikawa, while Rory McIlroy is paired with Viktor Hovland and Tommy Fleetwood — each group occupying contrasting slots in the waves. Organizers have staggered the leaders so morning and afternoon wind shifts could create artificial leaders and late-rising charge opportunities.

Strategically, early starters benefit from firmer greens and less afternoon wind, but they risk being overhauled if the breeze picks up and pin positions grow savage. Afternoon groups might face tougher wind but can exploit softer fairways and receptive greens if the forecast holds; that’s where patient, creative ball-strikers can gain strokes. The grouping architecture rewards adaptability: watch players who change strategy hole-by-hole rather than those who simply try to overpower the layout.

My call: watch the Scheffler–Rahm–Morikawa line for a steady opening salvo and expect McIlroy’s group to produce the headline fireworks if the wind moderates. If you’re following betting or fantasy, favour players in the middle of the morning wave who combine accuracy off the tee with short-game touch. When the dust settles on day one, the leaderboard will look familiar and deceptive — and the smart move is to expect volatility and back those with course craft, not just star power.