One More Shot at Glory: Royal Portrush Looms as the Final Major Test
The final Major Championship of the 2025 season arrives at a venue that blends rugged beauty with brutal challenge: Royal Portrush. The Open Championship returns to Northern Ireland for the first time since 2019, where it produced one of the most emotional moments in modern golf history. This time, the stakes may be even higher. With Scottie Scheffler seeking to cap off a historic campaign, Rory McIlroy returning home to pursue his sixth major, and Xander Schauffele aiming to defend his Claret Jug, the final chapter of this year’s Major season has the feel of a showdown. Portrush will demand the full repertoire: trajectory control, mental stamina, short-game artistry, and a willingness to adapt to everything the Atlantic throws at it. At this championship, the spotlight is always fierce, but in 2025, it feels just a little more blinding.
Tournament Details
Location: Royal Portrush Golf Club – Portrush, Northern Ireland
Dates: July 17th – 20th, 2025
Defending Champion: Xander Schauffele
Purse: $3.1 million
FedEx Cup Points: 750 points
Event Type: Major Championship
Royal Portrush Course Breakdown
Carved into the dramatic cliffs of Northern Ireland, Royal Portrush is both visually stunning and tactically punishing. The Dunluce Links measures over 7,300 yards as a par-71 and will feature the same routing used in 2019, when Shane Lowry triumphed emotionally. The course combines tight landing areas, rugged native rough, deep bunkering, and subtly sloping greens, all wrapped in ever-changing coastal winds. Key scoring opportunities lie in a manageable front nine, but the back side, especially holes 14 through 16, can swing a round with one mistimed shot or gust. Wind speeds are expected to be decently strong all week, and there will be a steady drizzle in the forecast as well, which means Portrush promises to deliver a true Open test. It is a venue that respects history, rewards nerve, and punishes anything less than precision.
Xander Schauffele – Defending Champion, Battle-Tested
Xander Schauffele, at +2500, returns to The Open not as a contender, but as the reigning Champion Golfer of the Year, having claimed his second Major title last July at Royal Liverpool. That win elevated him from perennial contender to verified closer; however, that hasn’t come to light in 2025. Schauffele has proven he can handle the unique challenges of links golf: the uneven lies, the awkward bounces, the need for adaptability under duress. With a composed demeanor and one of the most consistent ball-striking profiles on Tour, he enters Portrush prepared not just to defend, but to double down. If the putter heats up, don’t be surprised to see Xander lifting the Jug once again.
Scottie Scheffler – Dominant Year, Unfinished Business on the Coast
Scottie Scheffler, at +450, is the betting favorite, and rightfully so. With three wins in 2025, including the PGA Championship, and a lock on the Number One world ranking, his statistical dominance is unprecedented, but links golf remains the one frontier he hasn’t fully conquered. Despite top-25 finishes in his four Open appearances, Scheffler has yet to truly contend late on Sunday in this environment. His high launch and precision iron play translate well, but Portrush demands nuance, especially in the short game, where Scheffler has shown improvement but still has stretches of inconsistency. If he controls his ball flight and continues rolling it well, Scheffler could leave Northern Ireland with his second major of the year and a FedEx Cup lead no one will catch.
Rory McIlroy – Home Soil, Heavy Expectations
Rory McIlroy, at +700, returns to Royal Portrush not just as a favorite, but as the emotional centerpiece of the week. Six years after his heartbreaking missed cut at this very venue in 2019, the Northern Irishman arrives as the reigning Masters Champion and the crowd’s unquestioned favorite. He’s coming off a strong runner-up finish at the Genesis Scottish Open, showing the kind of form, especially off the tee and with his irons, that thrives in links conditions. McIlroy’s connection to this course is deeply personal, and the weight of home expectations may be both fuel and burden. If he can manage the moment, his combination of length, creativity, and experience makes him the most dangerous player in the field. A second Open title, especially on home soil, would be a defining exclamation mark on his already career-redefining season.
Final Thoughts
This Open Championship has the ingredients of something special. A dominant world number one chasing validation on links turf. A defending champion seeking to go back-to-back. A hometown hero playing for redemption and legacy. Add in names like Tommy Fleetwood, Collin Morikawa, Jon Rahm, and Bryson DeChambeau, and the script is rich with possibility, but Royal Portrush doesn’t play favorites. It rewards resilience, creativity, and a willingness to embrace the chaos. One more shot at glory awaits, and only one player will leave Northern Ireland with the Claret Jug in hand and history by their side. Let the final major begin.
