Gotterup: Win a 'notch in the belt' for confidence
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Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
All you need to know about The Open 2025
Ireland's Shane Lowry won the Claret Jug when The Open was last played at Royal Portrush in 2019 [Getty Images] The 153rd Open Championship takes place from 17-20 July at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. American Xander Schauffele is the defending champion as 156 players compete to win the Claret Jug and be crowned 'Champion Golfer of the Year'. Ireland's Shane Lowry won the title the last time Portrush hosted the championship in 2019. Advertisement BBC Sport will have live radio commentary on 5 Live across all four days, with daily TV highlights on BBC Two. There will also be live text commentary, in-play clips, video highlights, reaction and analysis on the BBC Sport website and mobile app. When is The Open 2024? Round one - Thursday, 17 July Round two - Friday, 18 July Round three - Saturday, 19 July Round four - Sunday, 20 July Play will get under way in round one around 06:30 BST (tee-times will be confirmed on Tuesday, 15 July) Where is The Open taking place? Royal Portrush on the north coast of Northern Ireland is hosting its third Open Championship. Advertisement The golf club was formed in 1888 with the Antrim club's Dunluce Links later undergoing a redesign by legendary architect Harry Colt. It is regarded as his finest course and was opened for play in 1933. It hosted its first Open in 1951, with England's Max Faulkner winning his solitary major. It was the first time golf's oldest major had been held outside the island of Great Britain. The course, which is considered one of the best in the world, underwent further tweaks before the Championship returned in 2019, with the addition of new seventh and eighth holes. What are the signature holes? The fifth green sits atop a 50-foot cliff down to the beach [Getty Images] The 372-yard par-four fifth may not be the toughest, but it is one of the most breath-taking holes at Royal Portrush. Known as White Rocks, it plays from an elevated tee and the green is reachable for the biggest hitters. Advertisement But there is danger if you go a yard too long with the cliff down to the beach out of bounds. The green is one of the most undulating on the course. Curran Point, the par-five seventh, is one of the two new holes introduced for the 2019 Championship but you wouldn't know it to look at it. With towering dunes to the right, and a sinewy fairway that snakes 590 yards up to the green, the hole fits right in with its surroundings. The final stretch kicks off with the long par-three 16th. Called Calamity Corner it plays 236 yards off the tips and features a deep drop away to the right. South African Bobby Locke famously made par in each round of the 1951 Open by hitting his ball into a dip short of the green and getting up and down from there. It was named Locke's Hollow in his honour. The 16th hole - Calamity Corner - is regarded as one of the finest par-three holes in golf [Getty Images] What is the prize money at The Open? The prize fund will be announced during Open week. Advertisement American Xander Schauffele received a record $3.1m (£2.3m) from a total prize fund of $17m (£12.6m) for winning at Royal Troon in 2024. Brian Harman collected $3m (£2.2m) from a $16.5m (£12.25m) pot for his triumph at Royal Liverpool in 2023. That was an 18% increase on the fund for the 150th Open at St Andrews in 2022. JJ Spaun picked up $4.3m (£3.2m) after winning last month's US Open - the same amount as Bryson DeChambeau won in 2024. Rory McIlroy collected $4.2m (£3.1m) for winning the Masters in April - up 15% from the $3.6m (£2.7m) Scottie Scheffler won the year before. Scheffler's US PGA Championship victory in May earned him $3.4m (£2.5m), fractionally up on Schauffele's $3.3m (£2.45m). Advertisement Are Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods playing The Open? World number two Rory McIlroy is set to play in his 16th Open Championship. The 2014 champion arrives in his home country for the final major of 2025 on the back of completing the career Grand Slam of winning all four majors. His play-off victory over Justin Rose at the Masters in April saw him end an 11-year drought in the sport's biggest tournaments as he collected a fifth major title. Expectation was high when McIlroy appeared in the 2019 Open but he started with a ruinous quadruple-bogey eight after hitting his opening tee shot out of bounds. He would go on to miss the halfway cut. Advertisement The vast majority of the expected 280,000 fans attending this week's championship will be hoping there is no repeat and the 36-year-old adds to his solitary Open title from 2014. Three-times winner Tiger Woods will not be playing as he continues to recover from a ruptured Achilles tendon. It means the 15-time major champion will have missed all four of the annual majors. The 49-year-old American last competed in a PGA Tour event 12 months ago, at the Royal Troon Open where he missed the cut. Who are the favourites to win The Open? World number one Scottie Scheffler arrives in Northern Ireland in a rich vein of form, having won three of his past nine tournaments - including his third major at May's US PGA Championship - and finished in the top 10 in the other six. Advertisement The start to his season was disrupted by a cut hand that required an operation. The accident occurred on Christmas Day when the upturned wine glass he was using to cut pasta shapes broke and the stem punctured his hand. He had his best Open finish last year at Royal Troon, ending joint seventh. Xander Schauffele comes in as the defending champion but accepts his form has been poor after he suffered a rib injury at the start of the season - although he finished alongside Scheffler on nine-under par at last week's Scottish Open. On seeing the location of a photo of himself in the media tent at the Renaissance Club, the American world number three joked: "It was nice to see my photo out by the toilet. That was heart-warming. It summed up how I feel about what's going on right now." Advertisement His fellow American Justin Thomas has climbed from 22nd at the start of the year to world number four on the back of a victory at the RBC Heritage in April and three runners-up finishes this year. He is yet to shine at an Open, although his best finish of joint 11th came at Portrush in 2019. Unheralded American Chris Gotterup sealed one of the three final places on offer by winning the Scottish Open but British fans should be buoyed. England's Marco Penge, who had already qualified, finished alongside McIlroy at the Renaissance Club, two shots back. Rose, who was runner-up at Royal Troon last year and at this year's Masters, hit a seven-under 63 to leap up the leaderboard and end one shot behind Matt Fitzpatrick, who had four rounds in the 60s as he tied for fourth on 12 under. Advertisement In 2019, Tommy Fleetwood showed he had the game to tackle Portrush but finished a distant second to Shane Lowry. He warmed up with four solid rounds at the Scottish Open in East Lothian and while he missed the cut at last year's Open, he has had three top-10s in the previous four. Scotland's Robert MacIntyre is aiming to become the first Scot to win the title since Paul Lawrie in 1999. He finished joint sixth on his Open debut at Portrush in 2019. Rising European Ludvig Aberg is emerging as an all-or-nothing player in the majors. In seven previous starts he has four missed cuts but in two Masters appearances he has finished second and seventh. This is only his second Open and he missed the cut last year. Advertisement Ryder Cup player Sepp Straka, who was seventh at the Scottish Open, has a best of joint second at Hoylake in 2023 but has missed the cut in all three previous majors in 2025. World number one Scottie Scheffler has two top-10 finishes from his four appearances at The Open, making the cut on each occasion [Getty Images] Which LIV players are at The Open? England's Lee Westwood will be playing in his 92nd major after coming through qualifying to book his 28th start in golf's oldest major - and first since 2022. The 52-year-old former world number one is yet to win one of golf's biggest tournaments but has had five top-five finishes at The Open, the most recent of which was at Portrush in 2019. He is one of 18 LIV players in Northern Ireland this week. Advertisement His compatriot Tyrrell Hatton is also searching for a first major title. He had his second best Open finish in 2019, finishing joint sixth. Bryson DeChambeau continues to excel in the majors with five top-six finishes in his past seven majors, including last year's US Open victory. However, his Open record is a little patchy with just one top-10 and he missed the cut in 2019. Spaniard Jon Rahm comes into the event on the back of a second at last week's LIV event in his homeland and has three top-seven finishes in his past four Opens. Former champions Cameron Smith, Louis Oosthuizen and Henrik Stenson are also in the field. Advertisement What is the weather forecast at Royal Portrush? The BBC forecast for Royal Portrush suggests a largely dry and sunny week with the odd chance of showers and temperatures up to 20C. What is cut rule and play-off format at The Open? The Champion Golfer of the Year is decided over four rounds with, weather permitting, one round of 18 holes played each day. After two rounds, there is a halfway cut and the top 70 players and ties will play in rounds three and four. Should there be a tie at the top of the leaderboard after all 72 holes have been played, there will be a three-hole play-off on holes one, 13 and 18 with the aggregate score determining the winner. Advertisement If the lead is still tied, the winner will be decided via a sudden death play-off. TV coverage and how to follow on the BBC (all times BST) Monday, 14 July 20:30-21:00 - BBC Radio 5 Live golf Tuesday, 15 July 19:00-20:00- The Open preview show part one on BBC Radio 5 Live Wednesday, 16 July 19:00-20:00 - The Open preview show part two on BBC Radio 5 Live Thursday, 17 July 06:30-22:00 - Live text commentary on BBC Sport website and app from first tee-shot to final putt of round one 10:00-20:00 - BBC Radio 5 Live commentary 21:00-22:30 - Round one highlights on BBC Two and iPlayer Friday, 18 July 06:30-22:00 - Live text commentary on BBC Sport website and app from first tee-shot to final putt of round two Advertisement 10:00-20:00 - BBC Radio 5 Live commentary 21:00-22:30 - Round two highlights on BBC Two and iPlayer Saturday, 19 July 11:00 - 20:00 - BBC Radio 5 Live from Royal Portrush, 14:00-20:00 Live text commentary on BBC Sport website and app from when leaders tee-off to final putt 20:00-22:00 - Round three highlights on BBC Two and iPlayer Sunday, 20 July 12:00 - 5 Live Sport from Royal Troon, with full commentary from 14:00 13:00-19:00 - Live text commentary on BBC Sport website and app from when leaders tee-off to final putt 20:00-22:00 - Round four highlights on BBC Two and iPlayer
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
'Harrington got ball rolling on gloriously golden Irish era'
When Padraig Harrington finished one shot away from the play-off for The Open title in 2002, few observers would have anticipated Irish golf being on the threshold of an extraordinary period of unprecedented glory. It seemed just another near miss. But since 2007, the island of Ireland has produced 11 men's major victories. Advertisement It also ended a 68-year wait to stage an Open, and did it so well that just six years later, the championship returns to the Antrim coast, doing so this week. A sellout crowd of nearly 280,000 people will flock to Royal Portrush and no doubt regenerate a uniquely fervent Irish atmosphere, one that is already firmly embedded in Open folklore. The passion will be stoked because Northern Ireland boasts a Grand Slam-winning Masters champion in Rory McIlroy. And this is the venue where Irishman Shane Lowry claimed an astonishing Open victory in 2019. Such a sustained gloriously golden period was barely imaginable when Harrington was bogeying Muirfield's last hole to miss out on a four-man shootout for the title 23 years ago. Advertisement At that stage Portrush native Fred Daly, the Open champion of 1947, had provided the island of Ireland's only major success. "We had good players in the past," Harrington told BBC Sport. "But the journalists would say when they got in contention in majors - and specifically it was the Open because there wasn't the access to the US majors - they didn't believe they could win." 'I said I would win majors, plural' Harrington was the last man to win successive Open Championships - in 2008 - when he also won the US PGA Championship [Getty Images] Harrington was a different animal. He first won The Open at Carnoustie 18 years ago, successfully defended the title at Royal Birkdale and then went to Oakland Hills and won the US PGA Championship. Advertisement Three major wins in 13 months. "Padraig got the ball rolling," said McIlroy, who made his Open debut in 2007 and finished as the leading amateur. "I think the other Irish players looked at that and that gave them belief." Harrington, who last month won the US Senior's Open for the second time, continues to possess a competitive edge that sets him apart. "I did two things," he said. "One, I always talked about majors, that I would win plural majors. I talked myself up. "But I think the second thing came a bit with my personality. A bit instinctively, I didn't realise I wasn't meant to win. Advertisement "Whereas the guys who went before me thought, no, an Irish guy can't do that, I didn't have any ceiling on what was possible. "That's how I got through the amateur game. That's how I got through at all stages because I wasn't always the most beautiful swinger of the golf club or anything like that. "So a lot of times I succeeded by purely not knowing any different, keeping my head down and doing my thing and I think that's really helped me." And Harrington's major wins had a ripple effect on geographically his closest colleagues. Graeme McDowell won the US Open at Pebble Beach in 2010, and McIlroy kept the trophy in Northern Ireland the following year. Advertisement "I would have helped the following on Irish guys," Harrington said. "They could say, 'hang on a second, we were number one in the amateur game in Ireland. We played with Paddy. We know what he's like. I can do that.'" The ripple became a wave as Dungannon's Darren Clarke won the 2011 Open at Royal St George's and McIlroy claimed three more majors, including The Open by the end of 2014. 'We knew it would be a success' The 1998 Good Friday Agreement - the deal that brought an end to 30 years of conflict in Northern Ireland, known as the Troubles - opened up further possibilities. Advertisement McIlroy told me: "That momentum that we all had was there at that period of time and in conjunction with the R&A looking at Royal Portrush to potentially host the Open Championship again. "And then for it to go there, I think it's [down to] Irish golf and the players that have come through and how well that we've done. "But I also think it's a great representation of how far Northern Ireland has come in the last 30 or 40 years. "Because in the 70s and the 80s and the 90s, no one would have dreamed of hosting an Open Championship in Northern Ireland in those times." Advertisement Harrington agreed. "Once it went there, we knew it would be a success," said the 53-year-old Dubliner. "We'd played a lot of amateur golf up there. The crowds love it and come out. The town gets behind it. So we knew we just had to get it there and everybody would see how great it was." 'Lowry's win icing on the cake' Lowry was greeted by incredible scenes on the 18th hole at Royal Portrush in 2019 [Getty Images] After the 2012 Irish Open was staged at the Antrim course, attracting huge numbers and player praise, the R&A intensified its feasibility studies. "There was a bit of work behind the scenes talking it up, emphasising the point of how good it would be," Harrington said. Advertisement Within seven years the dream became reality with the first all-ticket Open and nearly a quarter of a million fans flocking to the links. "You're still a little bit nervous that you want it to be a success," Harrington added. "We knew the crowds would turn out, obviously you have to get the logistics and make sure the crowds have a great time. "I don't think we could have anticipated how much, but maybe we should have. The players really loved it. Everybody who travelled in loved it." Never mind that McIlroy missed the cut, County Offaly's Shane Lowry surged to a tumultuous six-shot victory. Tricolours flew triumphantly in loyalist marching season territory, amid unbridled sporting joy. Advertisement "We certainly have one of the best Open venues now in Royal Portrush," Harrington reflected. He knows how much The Open means, regardless of which seaside venue holds the championship. "You could travel 50 miles away from the course, and pull into a petrol station and the person behind the counter is likely to start talking to you about the Open Championship, actually likely to ask you if you have any tickets. "You can often go to a tournament in the US, and half a mile down the road at a petrol station they don't even know the event is on. "Portrush is exceptional at taking ownership of the event, believing that it's their Open and the community comes together for their Open and they make it very special." Advertisement Harrington says Lowry's win in 2019 was "the icing on the cake" for the competition's return to this spectacular part of the world. And coming back again within six years is "no surprise". 'McIlroy could swan around and wave to crowds' In a delicious twist, the return coincides with McIlroy ending his 11-year major drought by winning the Masters to complete the career Grand Slam. The Northern Irishman is here wearing the coveted Green Jacket. No further hype needed. "Yeah, poor Rory, everyone seems to build up the pressure on him being the favourite," Harrington said. Advertisement "But if you want to be at that level the pressure's always going to be on you. "Clearly, he knows Portrush very well, he'll have the support and there's no doubt we'd love to see an Irish winner." But Harrington says McIlroy should maintain some perspective for what could otherwise be an overwhelming week. "Him going with the Masters' jacket, I think it's enough for him to just swan around and wave to the crowds," said the three-time major winner. "He doesn't have to win. The people always want him to win the next major or whatever, but it doesn't have to be this one. Advertisement "I know it would be nice to be Portrush, but he'll win plenty more majors." Regardless of whether Portrush can serve up another domestic fairytale, this will remain a golden period for golf on the island of Ireland. How does Harrington think the sport's historians will reflect on it in years to come? "Clearly it's been unprecedented," he said. "There's been a lot of 'how did we do it?' You know, I don't know if you can replicate things like that. "Everybody's been trying to find the formula, did we have something special in Ireland? I'm not sure. Advertisement "We gained some momentum. We did our thing. I think it's good for us going forward that we will have players who will believe in themselves." They will do so while speculation grows that new ground will be broken by the R&A taking a future Open to Portmarnock in the the Republic of Ireland. It is another indicator of how far and how quickly golf in this part of the world has moved. "Definitely, that's a big step," Harrington said. "It's tried for a long time to lose the tag as the British Open; it's The Open," Harrington said. "And it represents everybody, not just the people in Britain, but it represents everybody around the world who plays golf. Advertisement "It's everybody's Open." But this week with a discernible Irish hue.
NBC Sports
10 hours ago
- NBC Sports
Scottish T2 a huge boost for Rory before The Open
Rory McIlroy reacts to a narrow defeat in the Genesis Scottish Open and says he feels great about his game before The Open, as Brendon de Jonge says his performance was exactly what he needed before Portrush.
