Another sell-out is anticipated for the return of The Open championship to Royal Portrush in 2025, just six years after Shane Lowry’s historic lifting of the Claret Jug on the Dunluce links, with attendance figures set to reach almost 250,000 through the week.
In confirming the return to the north Antrim coast, the R&A’s Martin Slumbers said “big time sports needs big time venues, that can offer space and facilities to accommodate” such large crowds.
The 153rd Open will take place from July 13th-20th 2025, for what will be the third staging of the championship on the famed links.
“It’s great it’s going back quickly,” said Lowry: “ Obviously in my very biased opinion, it’s one of the best Opens I’ve ever played in. But no, without taking the win out of it and all that, I think anybody you talked to, the American players and the other players that played, they really enjoyed the venue and thought it was one of the great Opens that they played.
It’s great to be going back there in 2025. Look forward to it. Don’t have to worry about being in it or not. I’ll be there. It’s great it’s coming back quickly, and exciting for the people in Portrush and Ireland that we are going back there.”
One of 10 venues on the Open rota, the initial agreement between the R&A and the Northern Ireland executive through Tourism Ireland was for three championships to be held between 2019 and 2040. The move to give Royal Portrush such a quick slot would likely indicate that many more will come its way.
Slumbers admitted the 2019 staging “ticked a lot of boxes . . . . 2019 was a real voyage of discovery, into unchartered territory,” and admitted the sooner than expected return - which will prove less disruptive to the Royal Portrush membership given that the course renovations have been completed and such things as cabling is already installed - will enable them to make further advancements, with the possibility of even larger crowds than the 237,000 which attended during Lowry’s march to success.
Dr Ian Kerr, Captain of Royal Portrush, said, “We are delighted to see the return of The Open to Royal Portrush Golf Club. This is one of the biggest sporting events in the world and to see it return to Northern Ireland and Royal Portrush so soon, is a recognition of the excellent work done by all involved in 2019. The Open in 2019 created a positive festival atmosphere in the area and we look forward to hosting this wonderful event once again.”
The decision of the Royal Portrush membership was unanimous in support of the Open’s return so quickly.
