The Open and Royal Portrush

As a three-time host of The Open, Royal Portrush has firmly established itself as one of the world’s great golf courses. After an absence of 68 years, The Open returned for triumphant events in 2019 and 2025, reinforcing the formidable reputation of the County Antrim links and confirming Ireland as a golfing powerhouse.

In 2019, the whole island celebrated a defining moment in Irish golf when Offaly native Shane Lowry played some of the greatest golf in Open history to win the famous Claret Jug. Together, these championships have strengthened Northern Ireland’s standing on the global stage and secured Royal Portrush’s enduring place in the story of The Open.

Royal Portrush

When it opened in 1888, Royal Portrush only had nine holes, but within a year it became a challenging 18-hole course – one that has consistently been ranked one of the best courses in the world by Golf Digest. The course was refurbished just before the 148th Open, and golfing greats couldn’t help but rave about it, with some even saying this was the greatest links course they had ever seen.

Fans loved it too, as 240,000 of them packed the course during the week of play – a record for a Championship hosted outside of St Andrews in Scotland.

This is a famously demanding course, with towering dunes, sweeping valleys and thick roughs that even the best players have to second-guess. But, alongside these challenges is the spectacular Atlantic Ocean.