The Open is heading back to the windswept majesty of Royal Portrush, and if you’re not excited, you might want to check your pulse. Back in 2019, when the Open Championship returned to Northern Ireland for the first time since 1951, most fans didn’t quite know what to expect.
Portrush had been off the rota for nearly 70 years. But once that tournament got underway? Boom — instant classic. The crowd was electric, the views were jaw-dropping, and Shane Lowry’s six-shot victory on home soil was the cherry on top. And now, five years later, the Open is coming back — and you’d better believe the romance is still alive.
Portrush Isn’t Just Beautiful — It’s Built Different
Look, most Open venues share a certain DNA: they’re hard, they’re historic, and they’re brown. Royal Portrush flips that script. The Dunluce Links, the course hosting the event from July 17 to 20, is drenched in lush emeralds and ochres that pop off the screen. Visually, it’s every bit as dramatic as Turnberry, with sheer bluffs that plunge into the North Atlantic and fairways that tumble through some of the wildest dunes in championship golf.
But it’s not just a pretty face. These holes move. Some snake through deep valleys like Royal Birkdale. Others crest ridges like Royal St. George’s. And the bunkers? They aren’t perched politely on the edges of fairways. At Portrush, the bunkers lurk within the landing zones, messing with your mind and your line like Muirfield on a caffeine rush.
The Greens Add a Wild Irish Twist
Most links greens are flat-ish. They sit low, blending into the ground, more functional than flashy. Not at Portrush. These putting surfaces — many of them still the work of Harry S. Colt from his 1932 redesign — ripple and roll like Irish surf. Swales. Pockets. Contours that shift your lag putting game into puzzle-solving mode.
The par-3s and key approach holes, such as No. 1 and No. 14, showcase that vintage Colt flair. Even when British architects Mackenzie & Ebert stepped in to rework a few greens and build new holes in 2016, they adhered closely to the original blueprint.
And let’s not forget the surroundings — those uneven, rugged areas around the green where good rounds go to die. Some greens are tucked into dunes, others sit elevated with slopes that funnel wayward shots into nasty basins. Want to know why they call No. 16 Calamity Corner? Miss short or right, and you’ll find out the hard way.
Shane Lowry’s Win Wasn’t Just a Moment — It Sparked a Movement
When Lowry raised the Claret Jug in 2019, drenched in emotion and surrounded by raucous Irish fans, it felt like something bigger. And it was. The golf world fell in love with Portrush — hard. Players, fans, broadcasters, even the R&A. “I’d be very surprised if it’s not back here in the next 10 years,” Lowry said. Turns out, it only took six. That’s how undeniable the chemistry was.
So as the 152nd Open heads back to Northern Ireland, don’t treat it like just another stop on the rota. This is a homecoming. A rekindling of a flame that burned bright the moment the first tee ball soared over the dunes in 2019.
