You can be sure that when golf’s tremendous and pleasing look to the 2025 calendar, many will be pleased with the name Royal Portrush showing up in the middle of July. Site of the 153rd Open, the Northern Ireland course will host the Major for the 3rd time and the second since 2019.
Twenty years ago, few of Northern Ireland’s locals would have believed that The Open would have returned to the region. There were political reasons for that, as Northern Ireland was a no-go area for this kind of event before the NI Peace Process signaled an end to the period known as the Troubles.
Yet, there were also logistical hurdles. Hosting a Major is not just about providing a championship-worthy course for the best in the world to play on; you need to safely get tens of thousands of fans to the venue each day and provide somewhere for them to sleep at night. The fact the organizers pulled that off in 2019 is nothing short of a marvel.
Players happy to return to Northern Ireland
Yet, as for golf itself, The Open’s media team has made a big effort lately to show how much the players enjoyed the test of Royal Portrush and how eager they are to come back. It was a little bit of PR to mark the fact that there are fewer than 100 days to go until the 2025 Open, but the words of the players were genuine.
“A wonderful golf course.” Said Tiger Woods. Justin Thomas called it “tremendous.” A “masterpiece” was the word used by Darren Clarke. Interestingly, what came up a lot is that it is a “fair course.” We know that golfers think a lot about this concept – think of all the grumbles about various US Opens down the years. And what comes up repeatedly is that Royal Portrush is tough, punishing foul play but rewarding good play. That’s what the world’s best want.
A fair course can be rewarding and punishing.
However, seeing how some top players deal with the challenge in July will be interesting. Scottie Scheffler, the clear favorite in the Masters odds, is also top of the betting markets for The Open, but it isn’t just as clear-cut. We’d expect that players like Tommy Fleetwood will do well, as he is comfortable on that type of links course, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see some crafty veterans like Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke put up some good scores.
Yet, whoever comes out on top, it’s clear that all the players will enjoy the challenge. Matthew Fitzpatrick was one of those who played in 2019 and was adamant that the players loved it. Beyond the challenge of the links course is the atmosphere brought by the crowds. Northern Ireland is a fantastic venue for any sporting event, and there is always additional excitement when a world-class field comes to the region.
The 153rd Open should prove that Northern Ireland can host more events of this magnitude. Logistics are challenging – one of the reasons that Royal County Down is not on The Open circuit – yet they managed to pull it off in 2019. As for the action on the course, you will be able to tell by the looks on the players’ faces that they will relish the challenge ahead of them in July.
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