Ever since covering The Open at Royal Portrush in 2019, I’ve been desperate to go back. So, you can imagine how excited I’m getting as we approach the fourth and final Major of the season.
I think the fact The R&A has taken The Open back to Portrush so soon tells you everything about how successful the event was six years ago.
That’ll definitely go down as one of my favourite ever events to cover as a broadcaster (overlooking Rory hitting one out of bounds on the first hole en route to a quadruple-bogey!).
I’d say it was the best Open in the last decade and the scenes on that Saturday and Sunday were just incredible.
Having someone from Ireland winning was a fairytale and it’ll take some beating this time around. But I’m sure the atmosphere will be just as good, if not better.
Not far off 300,000 fans will descend on the Antrim coast this year, making the 2025 staging the best-attended Open outside of St Andrews.
I was so impressed with every facet last time around, from the access to the atmosphere and, of course, the golf course.
There’s not a weak hole on the layout – thanks to the improvements that were made ahead of 2019 – and I think the par 3s are the best of any course on the Open rota, headlined by ‘calamity corner’, the unbelievable 16th.
Lowry made a vital par there during Sunday’s final round to all-but guarantee becoming Champion Golfer of the Year.
As well as being a beautiful layout, Portrush is one of the fairest courses on the Open rota.
Of course, luck plays a part at all Opens, but the fairways are generally flat and you get fewer dodgy bounces than at some other venues, like Lytham and Troon. I’d have it in my top three with Carnoustie and Muirfield.
Shane Lowry was an emphatic and extremely popular winner of the 2019 Open Championship
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Despite having relatively flat fairways, Portrush is actually fairly undulating and the green complexes can be tricky.
They are more sloping than some other Open venues and the run-off areas mean precision is required on approaches and short-game skill is needed when the players inevitably miss greens.
I’d say the most important attribute is putting the ball in the fairway, though. While length is beneficial on any golf course, I wouldn’t say Portrush is a…
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