The Open Championship at Royal Portrush

The 153rd edition of the Open Championship will take place this week in Northern Ireland, with Royal Portrush hosting once again. The golf club located in County Antrim will see Shane Lowry returning, hoping to emulate his win here in 2019.

As with all Open Championships, the Links course will challenge the top golfers in the world, testing them against the weather as well as a different style of play. The weather can dramatically change the leaderboard and ruin scorecards. Early indications are the wind will be kind to the players, but showers, some heavy, are forecasted.

European players will be accustomed to the nuances of links golf; however, five of the last ten winners have come from the United States, with Xander Schaufelle prevailing at last year’s Open Championship at Royal Troon, Scotland. Other notable winners include Brian Harman and Colin Morikawa.

So we have an Open Championship held in Northern Ireland. Yes, I have to mention a certain Rory McIlroy. The grand slam winner, after capturing The Masters, will relish playing on home soil. With a good finish to last week’s Scottish Open at the Renaissance club, he will be looking to bring that form into what would be a fairytale year by winning and taking only his second Claret Jug.

Top Picks for The Open Championship at Royal Portrush

Who’s Playing?

World Number one, Scottie Scheffler, will, of course, be teeing up this week and is the favourite. Having finished tied eighth at last week’s Scottish Open, Scottie is in fine form, finishing in the top ten in his last ten tournaments, this includes three wins, the last coming at The Memorial tournament at the beginning of June.

A staggering 278,000 fans are expected over the week, according to the R&A, in what will be the largest Open Championship outside of St Andrews.

Steeped in tradition, the 156-strong field will all be hoping to be named champion golfer of the year, 2025.

My Top Three To Win

Rory McIlroy (+700)

Rory McIlroy will be desperate to win on home soil. He was last crowned Open champion in 2014, and with the weight of the grand slam off his back, he can play freely. His form is good, finishing tied 2nd last week. He missed the cut in 2019, also held at Royal Portrush, and will certainly want to improve on that this year.

Shane Lowry (+3000)

Having decided not to enter the Genesis Scottish Open last week. Shane instead played with friends back in his homeland of Ireland, getting some rest whilst still practising some links golf. He did the same last year and finished sixth. Whether he can do better this year remains to be seen. An up-and-down season so far, Shane will need to use his knowledge and experience to win again here.

Russell Henley (+6500)

Russell Henley is my third pick; he doesn’t get the headlines like others, but quietly goes about his business. Ranked 5th in the official world golf rankings, he finished fifth at last year’s tournament at Royal Troon. Coming into the last major of the year, he has three top ten finishes in his last three starts.

Hot Pick

Ludvig Åberg (+2800)

Tied eighth at last week’s Scottish Open, Ludvig will be looking for his first major. Only turning pro in 2023, he always appears in contention for every tournament he enters, and the big occasion won’t affect him either, having already won this year at the Genesis Invitational.

Top Ten

• Scottie Scheffler
• Rory McIlroy
• Jon Rahm
• Bryson DeChambeau
• Xander Schauffele
• Collin Morikawa
• Tommy Fleetwood
• Ludvig Åberg
• Viktor Hovland
• Tyrrell Hatton