The Open Returns To Portrush: Anticipation Builds For Historic Championship

The storylines that will unfold at The 153rd Open remain unknown, but one thing is certain—the people of Portrush will relish the return of golf’s original Championship.

Six years after Shane Lowry’s rousing victory at Royal Portrush, where he lifted the Claret Jug to the delight of an impassioned home crowd, The Open is set to return to the Northern Irish links this July for the third time in its storied history.

Lowry’s emphatic triumph in 2019 marked a defining moment for golf in the region, as spectators turned out in their tens of thousands to witness the Championship’s first appearance in Northern Ireland since 1951.

Gary McNeill, the long-serving head professional at Royal Portrush, played a unique role in that historic event, stepping onto the course as a marker during The 148th Open. As preparations intensify for this summer’s Championship, he has no doubt that another memorable occasion awaits.

"It's fantastic,” McNeill told The R&A. “It took 68 years for The Open to come back here and here we are six years later, getting prepared for it to come again.

“The economy benefits from this greatly - I think it was something like £100m went into the local economy in 2019, so it's marvellous for this part of the world.

“The public really get behind the likes of The Open here and the businesses in this area, they'll all be prepped and ready for it coming.

“It was a great success in 2019 and I suppose it's hard to know what the outcome of the Championship is going to be, but you do know that people are very excited about it again and they're very much looking forward to seeing all these great players and enjoying the occasion.

"I grew up through the Troubles here in Northern Ireland and for many years, nothing came here. Even having pop concerts and things like that, Northern Ireland was not a place a lot of people came to and certainly a lot of sporting occasions and things like that—the stuff that we enjoy now—didn't happen back then.

“So people really get behind anything that comes to these shores now and you could see that and feel that with the build-up to 2019. It was marvellous.

“The anticipation of a big event like this coming here and the greatest players in the game—Tiger Woods, for example—those are really special things for Northern Ireland and the people will support it once again.”

As head professional at Portrush for over 25 years, McNeill knows the Dunluce Links better than most. The course, with its towering dunes and dramatic elevation changes, is regarded as one of the finest in the world. Yet, according to McNeill, it is the layout’s fairness that makes it particularly popular among elite players.

“One of the things about Royal Portrush is how fair it is,” he said.

“The players enjoy the challenge of it and the fairness, and there's nothing hidden, there's nothing blind about it. A player can see where they're going to drive the ball to from the tee and they can see the second shot as well. So it's all there in front of you and no two holes are consecutively running in the same direction, so it's a great challenge.

“It's in great shape as well. [Course manager] Graeme Beatt and his team have got this place in magnificent shape, the standards of the greens and the surrounds and the fairways and the tee boxes. It's going to be presented beautifully.

“It's a marvellous challenge … and we can't wait.”

Picture - R & A