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The Open Championship 2019: Preview and predictions

By Luke Norris

PORTRUSH, NORTHERN IRELAND - APRIL 2: The Open championship flags make their debut at Royal Portrush Golf Club on April 2, 2019 in Portrush, Northern Ireland. The Open Championship returns to Royal Portrush for the first time since 1951 this summer between 18-21 of July. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)
PORTRUSH, NORTHERN IRELAND - APRIL 2: The Open championship flags make their debut at Royal Portrush Golf Club on April 2, 2019 in Portrush, Northern Ireland. The Open Championship returns to Royal Portrush for the first time since 1951 this summer between 18-21 of July. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/R&A/R&A via Getty Images) /
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PORTRUSH, NORTHERN IRELAND – JULY 16: A general view of the seventh hole during a practice round prior to the 148th Open Championship held on the Dunluce Links at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 16, 2019 in Portrush, United Kingdom. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
PORTRUSH, NORTHERN IRELAND – JULY 16: A general view of the seventh hole during a practice round prior to the 148th Open Championship held on the Dunluce Links at Royal Portrush Golf Club on July 16, 2019 in Portrush, United Kingdom. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) /

A look at Royal Portrush Golf Club

As mentioned in the intro, this is the first time in nearly seven decades that The Open Championship has ventured outside of Scotland or England, and Royal Portrush Golf Club is actually the only venue outside of those two countries to host golf’s oldest major.

The Open was played for the first and only time here in 1951 and it was Max Faulkner who hoisted the Claret Jug that week, putting a temporary hold on Bobby Locke’s historic run at this tournament. Locke went back-to-back in 1949 and 1950, lost to Faulkner in a tie for sixth in ’51, and then won again in 1952.

Royal Portrush played very tough back in 1951. In fact, there were only two sub-70 rounds shot throughout the entire tournament that week, those coming from Scotland’s Jimmy Adams and Australia’s Norman Von Nida, who both shot 68 in the first round to lead the tournament.

Just having two sub-70 rounds isn’t likely this week but this is a very tough golf course. It’s a par-71 layout and will play at right around 7,340 yards. There are two courses on site, the Valley Course and Dunluce Links, the latter of which will serve as the host course this week and is where betting favorite Rory McIlroy once shot a course-record 61 at just 16 years of age.

When the R&A announced back in 2014 that Royal Portrush had been added to the list of venues as a possibility to host The Open, changes were made to the course to modernize it and they actually introduced two new holes, the 7th and 8th, while taking out the original 17th and 18th. Five new greens have been added, as have 10 new bunkers (still the lowest number of bunkers in The Open rotation) and eight new tee boxes.

Here’s a hole-by-hole look at Royal Portrush Golf Club-Dunluce Links.

  1. Hughie’s: Par 4-421 yards
  2. Giant’s Grave: Par 5-574 yards
  3. Islay: Par 3 – 177 yards
  4. Fred Daly’s: Par 4-482 yards
  5. White Rocks: Par 4-374 yards
  6. Harry Colt’s: Par 3-194 yards
  7. Curran Point: Par 5-592 yards
  8. Dunluce: Par 4-434 yards
  9. Tavern: Par 4-432 yards
  10. Himalayas: Par 4-447 yards
  11. P.G. Stevenson’s: Par 4-474 yards
  12. Dhu Varren: Par 5-532 yards
  13. Feather Bed: Par 3-194 yards
  14. Causeway: Par 4-473 yards
  15. Skerries: Par 4-426 yards
  16. Calamity Corner: Par 3-236 yards
  17. Purgatory: Par 4-408 yards
  18. Babington’s: Par 4-474 yards

Let’s continue by taking a look at the top five players in the world and how they might fare this week at The Open Championship.

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