Royal Portrush is Ready to Host a Sold-Out Open Championship!

The Open Championship is just around the corner, and there are several historic factors at play this year. Thanks to the PGA’s new schedule, the Open is now the final Major of the year, officially the last chance of the year for many to get a coveted Major title to their name. 2019 also marks the first time since 1951 that the tournament has been held on Irish soil, and the only other time it has been played there was also at Royal Portrush. As such, it is the first time in history that the Open has sold out, with the 190,000 tickets released last fall selling out within seven weeks. Northern Ireland has been preparing for this moment for years, and now the players are ready to descend on a course that has become a golf pilgrimage thanks to its rugged and challenging beauty, and storied lore amongst some of the biggest names in the game with some great side bets along the way!

This year, Brooks Koepka is entering the tournament as the favorite to win at 6-1. Although he’s never played Royal Portrush, it was his caddie’s home club, so hopefully there will be some extra insight he can get from his experience. Any victory won’t come easy though, there are several other players poised to challenge for the Claret Jug (a.k.a. Golf Champion Trophy). Graeme McDowell will be playing his home course, being a Portrush native! Rory McIlroy also has a home-turf advantage, being from Northern Ireland himself and carding the lowest score ever at Dunluce Links (61), and having recently competed in the 2012 Irish Open at Royal Portrush, where he finished T-10. World No. 2 Dustin Johnson and of course Tiger Woods are also in hot competition for the win, both at 12-1 odds. And of course, we’re excited to see if Gary Woodland, recent U.S. Open Championship winner, can manage to come out of nowhere for his second Major of the year (although oddsmakers say it is unlikely).

The oldest competition in golf, the Open Championship is an experience of a lifetime, and to see it played in Northern Ireland for the first time in 68 years at an equally historic course is thrilling! We can’t wait to see what Dunluce Links holds in store for the golfers who will play the 148^th Open!