No clear favourites as 153rd Open Championship nears tee off at Royal Port rush
The 153rd playing of The Open on the Dunluce Links of Northern Ireland’s Royal Portrush promises plenty of excitement and drama over the next four days with a good number of worthy contenders for the Claret Jug.
- Jul 16, 2025,
- Updated Jul 16, 2025 7:54 PM IST
Defending champion Xander Schauffele will be one amongst a host of favoured players at the 153rd Open Championship which tees off at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland on Thursday.
The year’s final major is one of the most open in many ways though there are the usual suspects offered at low odds by the bookies including world number one Scottie Scheffler of the US, world no. 2 and local favourite Rory McIlroy, Schauffele himself amongst others, picking a winner is not going to be an easy task.
For one, the Open will be played on the Dunluce Links which has very different needs compared to the wide open parkland courses much of the PGA Tour and DP World (European) Tour schedule operates on. The adjustments can be taxing — even though three golfers from the US have won the Open in the last four years.
Said Schauffele, who won the 2024 Open at Royal Troon after a practice round on Tuesday, "I think a blank canvas is a great place to start. You can paint many different pictures to win a tournament. You've just got to do the right one.
"Coming here, I feel like I'm trying to re-learn this golf course, get comfortable with certain sight lines, some blind tee shots. If I can get myself in the mix, that's when I think I would have an advantage. That's where my biggest edge would be.
"I can lean on experience at other points in time, but I think the most fun and the biggest advantage I would have is coming down the stretch if I can get close to that lead. It's an interesting thing just because my thoughts of playing really well were at Royal Troon.”
Irishman Padraig Harrington was the last player to defend an Open title, in 2008, underlining the difficulties of tackling coastal links tracks that combine sloped greens, thick, knee-high rough and deep bunkers. Incidentally, Harrington has also been invited to host the opening shot of the tournament on Thursday morning.
“It’s a great honour to be asked and being here in Portrush, it’s very nice," he said on R&A TV. "I still think I’m a player but I’m quite happy to take the ceremonial position of hitting the first shot.
“It will be nerve-wracking, the first hole at Portrush is never a pleasant experience in a championship. It doesn’t matter where it goes, they will only show me, so there will be a definite effort to pose no matter where it’s gone."
Added Schauffele, ”This week is a pretty good example of having to deal with a wave. There's typically a good wave and a bad wave in an Open Championship. You just keep your fingers crossed that you're in the good wave and try and play well. If you're not, fight for your life and make the cut and then try and do something on the weekend.”
Defending champion Xander Schauffele will be one amongst a host of favoured players at the 153rd Open Championship which tees off at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland on Thursday.
The year’s final major is one of the most open in many ways though there are the usual suspects offered at low odds by the bookies including world number one Scottie Scheffler of the US, world no. 2 and local favourite Rory McIlroy, Schauffele himself amongst others, picking a winner is not going to be an easy task.
For one, the Open will be played on the Dunluce Links which has very different needs compared to the wide open parkland courses much of the PGA Tour and DP World (European) Tour schedule operates on. The adjustments can be taxing — even though three golfers from the US have won the Open in the last four years.
Said Schauffele, who won the 2024 Open at Royal Troon after a practice round on Tuesday, "I think a blank canvas is a great place to start. You can paint many different pictures to win a tournament. You've just got to do the right one.
"Coming here, I feel like I'm trying to re-learn this golf course, get comfortable with certain sight lines, some blind tee shots. If I can get myself in the mix, that's when I think I would have an advantage. That's where my biggest edge would be.
"I can lean on experience at other points in time, but I think the most fun and the biggest advantage I would have is coming down the stretch if I can get close to that lead. It's an interesting thing just because my thoughts of playing really well were at Royal Troon.”
Irishman Padraig Harrington was the last player to defend an Open title, in 2008, underlining the difficulties of tackling coastal links tracks that combine sloped greens, thick, knee-high rough and deep bunkers. Incidentally, Harrington has also been invited to host the opening shot of the tournament on Thursday morning.
“It’s a great honour to be asked and being here in Portrush, it’s very nice," he said on R&A TV. "I still think I’m a player but I’m quite happy to take the ceremonial position of hitting the first shot.
“It will be nerve-wracking, the first hole at Portrush is never a pleasant experience in a championship. It doesn’t matter where it goes, they will only show me, so there will be a definite effort to pose no matter where it’s gone."
Added Schauffele, ”This week is a pretty good example of having to deal with a wave. There's typically a good wave and a bad wave in an Open Championship. You just keep your fingers crossed that you're in the good wave and try and play well. If you're not, fight for your life and make the cut and then try and do something on the weekend.”