The Open Championship is bittersweet as the final major championship of the golf season, but that should actually only raise the excitement for fans. That's doubly true when you consider that we're heading to Royal Portrush again, which delivered thrills, heartbreaks and a great champion the last time that it hosted The Open. And with the storylines coming into the tournament on top of that, how could anyone who loves golf not be excited?
Put simply, so many of the best players in the world are showing flaws. Scottie Scheffler's putting woes returned and bit him a bit last week. Rory McIlroy has admitted to being unmotivated since his Masters win. Jon Rahm hasn't been able to get over the hump. Bryson DeChambeau's approach play has been spotty. And the list goes on. When you come into an unpredictable and weird tournament that The Open Championship can be, it feels like fans could be about to witness something wild and spectacular.
But as with any major, there are a lot of questions going on about The Open Championship. So let's dive into everything that fans need to know as we prepare for the tournament this week and one last major hoorah in the golf world for 2025.
Where is the 2025 Open Championship being played?
The 2025 Open Championship is being held at Royal Portrush in Portrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. This is the only venue for The Open located in Northern Ireland, the home country of Rory McIlroy. It is also only the third time that the major championship has been played at Royal Portrush, the last happening in 2019 and the previous being held all the way back in 1951. It did, however, host the Irish Open most recently in 2012 as well.
For The Open in 2019 at Portrush, Shane Lowry of Ireland emerged victorious for his first major championship victory. The 1951 iteration of the tournament was won by Max Faulkner, the only major championship victory of his career.
How many times has The Open Championship been played?
The 2025 Open Championship will be The 153rd Open in the tournament's illustrious history. The first tournament was played in 1860 when Old Tom Morris won at Prestwich, which hosted the tournament for the first 12 years. While the plan has been for the tournament to be held annually since, though, there have been a few interruptions. No tournament was played in 1871 because of the wild reason that no trophy was available. The tournament was also not held from 1915-19 or from 1940-45 because of World War I and World War II, respectively. The only other time The Open hasn't been played was in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Who won this tournament last year?
Xander Schauffele won The Open Championship in 2024 at Royal Troon. It was a big year for the X-Man. After years of being one of the PGA Tour's best, he entered last season having never won a major championship. He finally got that monkey off of his back at the PGA Championship at Valhalla, then firmly established himself as one of the game's elite when he won at Troon, capturing two majors in one season.
He'll now return to The Open after an up-and-down year that was slowed by an early-season injury.
When will U.S. golf fans need to wake up to watch The Open Championship?
Fans will have to get up at 1:30 a.m. ET in the United States to watch the start of The Open Championship on Thursday and Friday for the first two rounds. Streaming coverage will begin on Peacock for the first two days before switching over to NBC at 4 a.m. ET. However, for the weekend, the coverage will be at least a bit more manageable with no early Peacock streaming but NBC starting its coverage at 5 a.m. ET on Saturday and 4 a.m. ET on Sunday. There is a featured groups stream on Peacock, however, that will begin at 3 a.m. ET on Saturday and Sunday.
Full 2025 Open Championship schedule
Here's a look at the full Open Championship schedule for fans to watch at Royal Portrush.
Date | Streaming Coverage | TV Coverage |
|---|---|---|
Thursday, July 17 (Round 1) | Peacock (1:30 - 4 a.m. ET, 4 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. ET) | NBC (4 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. ET) |
Friday, July 18 (Round 2) | Peacock (1:30 - 4 a.m. ET, 4 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. ET) | NBC (4 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. ET) |
Saturday, July 19 (Round 3) | Peacock (3 a.m. - 3 p.m. ET) | NBC (5 a.m. - 3 p.m. ET) |
Sunday, July 20 (Round 4) | Peacock (3 a.m. - 2 p.m. ET) | NBC (4 a.m. - 2 p.m. ET) |
Odds to win The Open Championship
Here's a look at the Top 10 in terms of the odds to win the 2025 Open Championship, courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
- Scottie Scheffler (+450)
- Rory McIlroy (+700)
- Jon Rahm (+1200)
- Bryson DeChambeau (+2000)
- Xander Schauffele (+2500)
- Tommy Fleetwood (+2600)
- Ludvig Ã…berg (+2800)
- Collin Morikawa (+3000)
- Viktor Hovland (+3000)
- Shane Lowry (+3000)
The familiar faces of Scheffler and McIlroy atop the odds board makes sense, especially with this being the second homecoming at The Open for Rory. Meanwhile, there could be some value with Schauffele, who is rounding into form, returning as the defending champ at this major. And don't sleep on Shane Lowry. Yes, he's in the Top 10 in the odds, although just barely, but he's played well for much of the year and did win the last time The Open came to Royal Portrush.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.