The 2025 Open Championship will take place between the 17th and 20th of July. It will be the 153rd edition of the tournament and although some refer to the tournament as the British Open, this year’s showdown will take place at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland. Of course, Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom but not Britain, although perhaps confusingly it is part of the British Isles!
Leaving aside geography, or at least anything too complex, in this article we will take a look at how many times Northern Ireland has hosted the Open. Is the County Antrim course of Royal Portrush the only one to have had the honour? And how many times has the prestigious event been held in both England and Scotland?
Photo credit: Allan LEONARD, flickr.
Portrush is Sole Irish Host
Royal Portrush, which was founded in 1888, boasts two 18-hole courses. The Dunluce Links is considered among the finest in the world and is the championship course, though the Valley Links is also pleasant enough. The Dunluce Links course, which we will henceforth refer to as Portrush, is the only course in Northern Ireland to have ever hosted the Open Championship.
It first had that honour back in 1951 before a lengthy hiatus ensued, with the course hosting its second Open in 2019. The wait for a third tournament was far shorter, and 2025 will be the third time that Northern Ireland has been the host of the Open Championship.
In 2012, Portrush also hosted the Irish Open, this the first time that a European Tour event had been held in Northern Ireland. It was also the first time since back in 1953 that the tournament had been held in the north.
Rory McIlroy played a part in helping bring the Open to Northern Ireland back in 2019 and he will fancy his chances of winning in 2015. That said, whilst he described playing the oldest major in his home nation as a dream back in 2019, it very quickly turned into a nightmare. He shot a dreadful 79 in the first round and despite a brilliant 65 on Friday, he still missed the cut.
A familiarity with conditions and the course did nothing for him six years ago, but the bookies still make him the 15/2 second favourite this time around. With the US Masters finally in the bag, the Holywood native will feel a lot lighter than he did in 2019, and perhaps this time around he will at least give the home fans something to cheer.
Who Won at Portrush Before?
As is the case when it comes to rugby, golf suffers from less of a sectarian divide than football or politics. As such, many “home” fans will have enjoyed Shane Lowry’s success at Royal Portrush in 2019. Lowry, from Dublin, is a great friend of McIlroy’s and he managed to prevail the last time the Open was held on the island of Ireland.
The popular 38-year-old claimed his sole major to date with real ease too, finishing six shots clear of Tommy Fleetwood. It was as if Lowry was playing a different game to the rest of the field and his score of 15 under was eight better than Tony Finau who finished in third.
Lowry took home almost $2m after rounds of 67-67-63-72 proved far too good in a year where five under would have brought a top-six finish. Saturday really was moving day for the Irishman and it was his third round of 63, a course record, that really made the difference. It also took him to a 54-hole record low at the Open of 198 and from there he never looked back.
Going back much further, to 1951, we saw an Englishman lift the Claret Jug. It was Max Faulkner who came out on top and, like Lowry, it was his only success in a major. Unlike Lowry, Faulkner won a rather more modest £300. The course has been changed many times over the years so comparisons are not really valid. The weather also plays a big part in what happens in links golf and, of course, we have to factor in modern equipment.
However, for the record, Faulkner shot a three-under total of 285 thanks to rounds of 71, 70, 70 and 74. He finished two shots clear of Argentine player Antonio Cerda, who was the only other golfer to finish on the right side of par. Bobby Locke and Peter Thomson were among the big names to finish further back, both tied for sixth on +5.
Scotland the Record Host
Including Portrush, 14 different courses have held the Open, with six of those in England and seven in Scotland. Ten courses are on the current roster, with four no longer considered. The ten courses in the rotation today are as follows:
| Course | Country |
|---|---|
| Royal Portrush | Northern Ireland |
| St Andrews | Scotland |
| Muirfield | Scotland |
| Royal Troon | Scotland |
| Carnoustie | Scotland |
| Royal Birkdale | England |
| Royal Lytham & St Anne’s | England |
| Royal St George’s | England |
| Royal Liverpool | England |
| Royal Birkdale | England |
As you can see, that means there is just one Northern Irish venue and four Scottish ones, with England leading the way with five. However, the three courses to have held this historic championship most often are all Scottish. Those three are:
- St Andrew’s – 30
- Prestwick – 24
- Muirfield – 16
Prestwick was a regular Open host in the early years of the event but has not been used since 1925. However, it will be some time before it is usurped from second place.
The English golf club to have hosted the most Opens is Royal St George’s. The Kent course first held the Open in 1894, doing so most recently, for the 15th time, in 2021, when Collin Morikawa won.
All in all, the three countries have held the Open Championship the following number of times:
- Scotland – 98
- England – 52
- Northern Ireland – 3 (including 2025)