The 2025 Open Championship Preview: Royal Portrush Awaits Golf’s Greatest Drama

The Claret Jug returns to the rugged Northern Irish coast as Royal Portrush Golf Club hosts the 153rd Open Championship from July 17–20, 2025. With its windswept dunes, dramatic vistas, and a course that demands both precision and imagination, Portrush is poised to deliver another unforgettable chapter in major championship history.

A Course Forged by Nature and History

Royal Portrush last hosted The Open in 2019, when Shane Lowry thrilled the home crowd with a six-shot victory. Since then, the Dunluce Links has undergone subtle but significant changes:

• New 7th and 8th holes carved into the valley floor, enhancing the course’s rhythm and challenge

• Expanded spectator areas and improved infrastructure to accommodate record crowds

• A layout that rewards creativity, punishes hesitation, and is always at the mercy of the North Atlantic winds

Expect the course to play firm and fast, with weather dictating strategy as much as skill.

The Contenders: Legends, Locals, and Rising Stars

The field is stacked with storylines:

• Rory McIlroy, still chasing his first major since 2014, returns to his home country with unfinished business

• Scottie Scheffler, the world No. 1, seeks to add the Claret Jug to his growing major collection

• Xander Schauffele, fresh off his 2024 Open win at Royal Troon, looks to go back-to-back

• Shane Lowry, the 2019 champion at Portrush, returns to the scene of his greatest triumph

And don’t sleep on Ryan Fox, whose gritty playoff win earlier this season showed he thrives in tough conditions.

What Makes This Open Special?

• A return to roots: Only the third Open ever held outside mainland Great Britain, Portrush embodies the spirit of links golf

• A global field: With players qualifying from Japan, South Africa, Australia, and beyond, this is golf’s most international major

• A test of resilience: The Open doesn’t just crown the best golfer—it reveals the one who can weather every storm, literal and metaphorical

As the waves crash against the Antrim cliffs and the wind whispers through the gorse, Royal Portrush is ready to test the mettle of golf’s elite. Will a local hero rise again? Will a new name etch itself into history? One thing’s certain: The Open at Portrush never disappoints.

Want to dive deeper into the contenders or explore the course hole-by-hole? I’d be thrilled to help you craft a follow-up piece.