The 2025 Open Championship will be held at Royal Portrush in Country Antrim, Northern Ireland, and we’re taking a look at who the last winner was when the prestigious golf tournament was held at the venue.
Who Was The Last Open Championship Winner At Royal Portrush?
Royal Portrush Golf Club plays host to the 2025 Open Championship, and the Dunluce Links, its championship course, is considered to be one of the best courses in the British Isles.
Established in 1888, Royal Portrush is located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
The venue has hosted numerous high-profile golf tournaments over the years. This includes the Open Championship, the Irish Open, the Senior British Open Championship and the Palmer Cup.
Portrush first hosted a major championship in 1951 when the 80th Open Championship was held there. It became the first time that The Open wasn’t held on the island of Great Britain.
68 years later, in 2019, The Open returned to County Antrim. The winner was none other than Shane Lowry, making him the last Open Championship winner at Royal Portrush.
It would be the Irishman’s first and only major championship triumph. He won the title by six strokes over Tommy Fleetwood, having come into the tournament ranked 33rd.
The tournament returns to Portrush for a third time in 2025, with it being the 153rd edition of the event.
But when is the Open Championship this year? The prestigious event is due to take centre stage later next month, from Thursday, 17 July, until Sunday, 20 July.
How Many Times Has Royal Portrush Hosted The Open Championship?
The Open Championship has been held at Royal Portrush on two previous occasions.
As previously alluded to, the first time it was held at the venue was in 1951. The title was won by Englishman Max Faulkner, whose victory sealed the only major championship of his career.
It has been held at the County Antrim course just once since, in 2019.
The 2025 Open Championship marks just the third time that Royal Portrush Golf Club has hosted the event, which is the oldest golf tournament in the world.
Previous Open Championship Winners at Royal Portrush
Faulkner and Lowry are the only two previous Open Championship winners at Royal Portrush.
Interestingly, it is both players’ sole career major championship title victory.
Rory McIlroy, who is feeling ‘positive vibes’ after a strong showing at the Travelers Championship, will aim to become the third winner at the venue to lift the title in his home country.
McIlroy won the event in 2014, triumphing by two strokes at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club.
The Northern Irishman missed the cut by one stroke after round two in 2019, meaning his tournament came to an end on the Friday, and he didn’t return for the weekend.
Tiger Woods, Darren Clarke and Phil Mickelson also failed to make the cut.
| Year | Winner |
| 1951 | Max Faulkner (-3) |
| 2019 | Shane Lowry (-15) |
| 2025 | TBC |
Shane Lowry Priced At 22/1 To Repeat 2019 Open Championship Feat
Bookmakers have Lowry, the last Open Championship winner at Royal Portrush, at 22/1 to repeat the feat and seal his second major championship in Northern Ireland.
That makes him the eighth favourite in the betting market.
Lowry heads into the event off the back of a T45 finish at the Travelers Championship, while he failed to make the cut at the U.S. Open towards the start of June.
Unsurprisingly, Scottie Scheffler, who has a $60m net worth, is the bookies’ favourite at around 9/2. McIlroy follows as the second favourite in the market at around 6/1.
The likes of Jon Rahm (12/1), Bryson DeChambeau (16/1), Xander Schauffele (18/1), Ludvig Aberg (20/1) and Tommy Fleetwood (20/1) are also favoured ahead of Lowry.
