Ladies and gentlemen… welcome to Royal Portrush – the latest addition to the Open Championship rota and arguably the cream of the crop already. Those who value the history and nostalgia of an Open venue may well put St Andrews first and understandably so but in terms of an out and out championship links test, I doesn’t get much better than Portrush.
Growing up in Northern Ireland, you quickly learn of the ‘big two’ links courses in the country – Royal County Down, host of the 2025 Irish Open (and my home course) and Royal Portrush. These two mammoth venues set the standard for links golf in Ireland, whilst the presence of Portmarnock and Baltray (Co. Louth) in the East and the fabulous fairways of the likes of Lahinch and Ballybunion in the South West mean we are truly spoilt for choice.
However, growing up in the North means I am most familiar with the two ‘Royals’. I know both like the back of my hand and yet I learn something new about each every time I play them. So what should the pros expect at Portrush this week? What is the best way to tackle this beast of a championship test?
Having played and attended professional events at the North Coast venue, here are the four key points I’d focus on as the pros attempt to tame the beast.
Don’t go O.B on the first hole
Stating the obvious, right? To reword a classic cliche, you can’t win the tournament on the opening hole but you can lose it – just ask Rory McIlroy after he made an 8 on his opening hole back in 2019 on his way to missing the cut.
McIlroy takes a penalty drop on his way to a quadruple bogey on the 1st hole in 2019.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Internal out of bounds can divide opinion but I think it makes the first at Portrush an excellent hole. O.B lines both sides of the fairways and although it looks far removed from the fairway, the firm ground and relatively dry weather we’ve had in 2025 means it is very much in play, even if balls don’t fly directly into it. It’s not the only hole O.B is in play either – it runs up the right side of the opening holes as well as at the back of the 5th and left of 18, for example.
Plop a mid to long iron down the middle of the fairway, aim for the center of the raised green and take your par – doing this four days in a row is a recipe for success at Portrush.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Latest from Golf Monthly…