The USGA has co-opted the expression “golf’s longest day,” attaching to the Monday prior to U.S. Open week when it conducts 10 Final Qualifying events. In reality, the R&A has a rightful claim to the title in reference to the first and second rounds of the Open Championship (aka the British Open). The long summer nights in the U.K. allow for all 156 players in the field to tee off the first hole, the initial threesome heading out around 6:30 a.m. local time while the final game goes off some time after 4 p.m. and ends somewhere near 10 p.m.

It’s a wider separation than anything on the PGA Tour (which employs split tees at almost all its events). And it will happened, again, when Northern Ireland’s Royal Portrush hosts the 153rd edition of the game’s oldest major. In turn, it will create anxiousness for the 156 players in the field waiting to see if where their names land on the starter’s sheet and whether that might leave them on the “good” or “bad” side of the draw.

Don’t believe us? Well, we’re going lean back on the example that we often use from the Open that helps illustrate what this means. Forgive us for repeating ourselves, but in 2010, when the Open was held on the Old Course at St. Andrews, golfers who teed off in the morning during Friday’s second round played in calm conditions, eventual winner Louis Oosthuizen shooting a 67. Those who teed off in the afternoon, however, played in blustery winds and rain squalls. Rory McIlroy, after an opening-round 63, shot a second-round 80 to essentially end his chances at claiming the claret jug just 36 holes into the championship.

“When you feel like you’re playing well and you get the wrong side of the draw and you feel like the best you can finish is 10th, it’s a bitter pill to swallow,” McIlroy said in 2017. “But you have to realize in a 25- or 30-year career, you’re going to get some years that you’re on the good side of the draw.”

Players will be competing in threesomes on Thursday and Friday at Portrush. Padraig Harrington, the two-time Open champion from Ireland, will be hitting the opening tee shot early Thursday. The 53-year-old, who is the last player to win in back-to-back years (2007, 2008), is making his 28th appearance in the championship.

THURSDAY’S FIRST ROUND TEE TIMES
(all times ET)

1:35 a.m.: Padraig Harrington, Nicolai Hojgaard, Tom McKibbin

1:46 a.m.: Louis Oosthuizen, Guido Migliozzi, K.J. Choi

1:57 a.m.: Cameron Smith, Marco Penge, Justin Hastings (a)

2:08 a.m.: Jason Day, Taylor Pendrith, Jacob Skov Oleen

2:19 a.m.: Phil Mickelson, Daniel Van Tonder, Ryan Peake

2:30 a.m.: Max Greyserman, Byeong Hun An, Niklas Norgaard

2:41 a.m.: Jordan Smith, Haoton Li, Dustin Johnson

2:52 a.m.: Darren Clarke, Davis Riley, Lucas Herbert

3:03 a.m.: Kevin Yu, Julien Guerrier, Mikaya Akutsu

3:14 a.m.: Thomas Detry, Chris Gotterup, Lee Westwood

3:25 a.m.: Patrick Cantlay, Cameron Young, Mackenzie Hughes

3:36 a.m.: Thorbjorn Olesen, Matthew Jordan, Filip Jakubcik (a)

3:47 a.m.: Henrik Stenson, Stephan Jaeger, Sebastian Soderberg

4:03 a.m.: Kristoffer Reitan, Martin Couvra, Adrien Saddier

4:14 a.m.: Takumi Kanaya, Justin Walters, Bryan Newman (a)

4:25 a.m.: Hideki Matsuyama, Ryan Fox, Matt Fitzpatrick

4:36 a.m.: Sepp Straka, Ben Griffin Akshay Bhatia

4:47 a.m.: Sam Burns, Aldrich Potgieter, Brooks Koepka

4:58 a.m.: Xander Schauffele, J.J. Spaun, Jon Rahm

5:09 a.m.: Shane Lowry, Colin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler

5:20 a.m.: Corey Conners, Wyndham Clark, Tom Hoge

5:31 a.m.: Denny McCarthy, Nico Echavarria, Patrick Reed

5:42 a.m.: Matti Schmid, Ryggs Johnston, Richard Teder (a)

5:53 a.m.: Dylan Naidoo, Darren Fichardt, John Axelsen

6:04 a.m.: Justin Suh, Oliver Lindell, Jesper Sandborg

6:15 a.m.: Sadom Kaewkanjana, Riki Kawamoto, Sampton Zheng

6:26 a.m.: Stewart Cink, Matteo Manassero, Marc Leishman

6:47 a.m.: Francesco Molinari, Jesper Svensson, Conor Graham (a)

6:58 a.m.: Zach Johnson, Daniel Hillier, Daniel Brown

7:09 a.m.: Adam Scott, Rickie Fowler, Ethan Fang (a)

7:20 a.m.: Laurie Canter, Elvis Smylie, Sergio Garcia

7:31 a.m.: Andrew Novak, Matthieu Pavon, Matt Wallace

7:42 a.m.: Davis Thompson, Dean Burmester, Rikuya Hoshino

7:53 a.m.: Si Woo Kim, Shugo Imahira, Sebastian Cave (a)

8:04 a.m.: Michael Kim, Bud Cauley, John Parry

8:15 a.m.: Matt McCarty, Shaun Norris, Angel Hidalgo

8:26 a.m.: Keegan Bradley, Sungjae Im, Daniel Berger

8:37 a.m.: Rasmus Hojgaard, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Romain Langasque

8:48 a.m.: Aaron Rai, Sahith Theegala, Harry Hall

9:04 a.m.: Justin Leonard, Thirston Lawrence, Antoine Rozner

9:15 a.m.: J.T. Poston, Chris Kirk, Carlos Ortiz

9:26 a.m.: Brian Harman, Maverick McNealy, Joaquin Niemann

9:37 a.m.: Russell Henley, Tyrrell Hatton, Min Woo Lee

9:48 a.m.: Robert MacIntyre, Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Rose

9:59 a.m.: Jordan Spieth, Ludvig Aberg, Viktor Hovland

10:10 a.m.: Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Tommy Fleetwood

10:21 a.m.: Harris English, Nick Taylor, Tony Finau

10:32 a.m.: Lucas Glover, Jhonattan Vegas, Tom Kim

10:43 a.m.: Brian Campbell, John Catlin, Frazer Jones (a)

10:54 a.m.: Nathan Kimsey, Jason Kokrak, Cameron Adam (a)

11:05 a.m.: Daniel Young, Custis Luck, Curtis Knipes

11:16 a.m.: Younghan Song, George Bloor, O.J. Farrell

FRIDAY’S SECOND ROUND TEE TIMES

1:35 a.m.: Stewart Cink, Matteo Manassero, Marc Leishman

1:46 a.m.: Francesco Molinari, Jesper Svensson, Conor Graham (a)

1:57 a.m.: Zach Johnson, Daniel Hillier, Daniel Brown

2:08 a.m.: Adam Scott, Rickie Fowler, Ethan Fang (a)

2:19 a.m.: Laurie Canter, Elvis Smylie, Sergio Garcia

2:30 a.m.: Andrew Novak, Matthieu Pavon, Matt Wallace

2:41 a.m.: Davis Thompson, Dean Burmester, Rikuya Hoshino

2:52 a.m.: Si Woo Kim, Shugo Imahira, Sebastian Cave (a)

3:03 a.m.: Michael Kim, Bud Cauley, John Parry

3:14 a.m.: Matt McCarty, Shaun Norris, Angel Hidalgo

3:25 a.m.: Keegan Bradley, Sungjae Im, Daniel Berger

3:36 a.m.: Rasmus Hojgaard, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Romain Langasque

3:47 a.m.: Aaron Rai, Sahith Theegala, Harry Hall

4:03 a.m.: Justin Leonard, Thirston Lawrence, Antoine Rozner

4:14 a.m.: J.T. Poston, Chris Kirk, Carlos Ortiz

4:25 a.m.: Brian Harman, Maverick McNealy, Joaquin Niemann

4:36 a.m.: Russell Henley, Tyrrell Hatton, Min Woo Lee

4:47 a.m.: Robert MacIntyre, Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Rose

4:58 a.m.: Jordan Spieth, Ludvig Aberg, Viktor Hovland

5:09 a.m.: Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Tommy Fleetwood

5:20 a.m.: Harris English, Nick Taylor, Tony Finau

5:31 a.m.: Lucas Glover, Jhonattan Vegas, Tom Kim

5:42 a.m.: Brian Campbell, John Catlin, Frazer Jones (a)

5:53 a.m.: Nathan Kimsey, Jason Kokrak, Cameron Adam (a)

6:04 a.m.: Daniel Young, Custis Luck, Curtis Knipes

6:15 a.m.: Younghan Song, George Bloor, O.J. Farrell

6:26 a.m.: Padraig Harrington, Nicolai Hojgaard, Tom McKibbin

6:47 a.m.: Louis Oosthuizen, Guido Migliozzi, K.J. Choi

6:58 a.m.: Cameron Smith, Marco Penge, Justin Hastings (a)

7:09 a.m.: Jason Day, Taylor Pendrith, Jacob Skov Oleen

7:20 a.m.: Phil Mickelson, Daniel Van Tonder, Ryan Peake

7:31 a.m.: Max Greyserman, Byeong Hun An, Niklas Norgaard

7:42 a.m.: Jordan Smith, Haoton Li, Dustin Johnson

7:53 a.m.: Darren Clarke, Davis Riley, Lucas Herbert

8:04 a.m.: Kevin Yu, Julien Guerrier, Mikaya Akutsu

8:15 a.m.: Thomas Detry, Chris Gotterup, Lee Westwood

8:26 a.m.: Patrick Cantlay, Cameron Young, Mackenzie Hughes

8:37 a.m.: Thorbjorn Olesen, Matthew Jordan, Filip Jakubcik (a)

8:48 a.m.: Henrik Stenson, Stephan Jaeger, Sebastian Soderberg

9:04 a.m.: Kristoffer Reitan, Martin Couvra, Adrien Saddier

9:15 a.m.: Takumi Kanaya, Justin Walters, Bryan Newman (a)

9:26 a.m.: Hideki Matsuyama, Ryan Fox, Matt Fitzpatrick

9:37 a.m.: Sepp Straka, Ben Griffin Akshay Bhatia

9:48 a.m.: Sam Burns, Aldrich Potgieter, Brooks Koepka

9:59 a.m.: Xander Schauffele, J.J. Spaun, Jon Rahm

10:10 a.m.: Shane Lowry, Colin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler

10:21 a.m.: Corey Conners, Wyndham Clark, Tom Hoge

10:32 a.m.: Denny McCarthy, Nico Echavarria, Patrick Reed

10:43 a.m.: Matti Schmid, Ryggs Johnston, Richard Teder (a)

10:54 a.m.: Dylan Naidoo, Darren Fichardt, John Axelsen

11:05 a.m.: Justin Suh, Oliver Lindell, Jesper Sandborg

11:16 a.m.: Sadom Kaewkanjana, Riki Kawamoto, Sampton Zheng

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Main Image: Matthew Lewis/R&A