All You Need To Know About The Open 2025

3 days ago

Ireland's Shane Lowry kisses nan Claret Jug aft winning nan 2019 Open Championship astatine Royal Portrush successful Northern Ireland

Peter Scrivener

BBC Sport elder journalist

The 153rd Open Championship takes spot from 17-20 July astatine Royal Portrush successful Northern Ireland.

American Xander Schauffele is nan defending champion arsenic 156 players compete to triumph nan Claret Jug and beryllium crowned 'Champion Golfer of nan Year'. Ireland's Shane Lowry won nan title nan past clip Portrush hosted nan title successful 2019.

BBC Sport will person unrecorded power commentary connected 5 Live crossed each 4 days, pinch regular TV highlights connected BBC Two.

There will besides beryllium unrecorded matter commentary, in-play clips, video highlights, guidance and study connected nan BBC Sport website and mobile app.

When is The Open 2024?

Round 1 - Thursday, 17 July

Round 2 - Friday, 18 July

Round 3 - Saturday, 19 July

Round 4 - Sunday, 20 July

Play will get nether measurement successful information 1 astir 06:30 BST (tee-times will beryllium confirmed connected Tuesday, 15 July)

Where is The Open taking place?

Royal Portrush connected nan northbound seashore of Northern Ireland is hosting its 3rd Open Championship.

The play nine was formed successful 1888 pinch nan Antrim club's Dunluce Links later undergoing a redesign by legendary designer Harry Colt. It is regarded arsenic his finest people and was opened for play successful 1933.

It hosted its first Open successful 1951, pinch England's Max Faulkner winning his solitary major. It was nan first clip golf's oldest awesome had been held extracurricular nan land of Great Britain.

The course, which is considered 1 of nan champion successful nan world, underwent further tweaks earlier nan Championship returned successful 2019, pinch nan summation of caller seventh and eighth holes.

What are nan signature holes?

An overhead changeable of nan 5th greenish connected nan Dunluce people astatine Royal Portrush, pinch nan formation and spot conscionable yards disconnected nan backmost of nan green

The 372-yard par-four 5th whitethorn not beryllium nan toughest, but it is 1 of nan astir breath-taking holes astatine Royal Portrush. Known arsenic White Rocks, it plays from an elevated tee and nan greenish is reachable for nan biggest hitters.

But location is threat if you spell a gait excessively agelong pinch nan cliff down to nan formation retired of bounds. The greenish is 1 of nan astir undulating connected nan course.

Curran Point, nan par-five seventh, is 1 of nan 2 caller holes introduced for nan 2019 Championship but you wouldn't cognize it to look astatine it.

With towering dunes to nan right, and a sinewy fairway that snakes 590 yards up to nan green, nan spread fits correct successful pinch its surroundings.

The last agelong kicks disconnected pinch nan agelong par-three 16th. Called Calamity Corner it plays 236 yards disconnected nan tips and features a heavy driblet distant to nan right.

South African Bobby Locke famously made par successful each information of nan 1951 Open by hitting his shot into a dip short of nan greenish and getting up and down from there. It was named Locke's Hollow successful his honour.

A wide position of nan 16th spread astatine Royal Portrush

What is nan prize money astatine The Open?

The prize money will beryllium announced during Open week.

American Xander Schauffele received a grounds $3.1m (£2.3m) from a full prize money of $17m (£12.6m) for winning astatine Royal Troon successful 2024.

Brian Harman collected $3m (£2.2m) from a $16.5m (£12.25m) cookware for his triumph astatine Royal Liverpool successful 2023.

That was an 18% summation connected nan money for nan 150th Open astatine St Andrews successful 2022.

JJ Spaun picked up $4.3m (£3.2m) after winning past month's US Open - nan aforesaid magnitude arsenic Bryson DeChambeau won successful 2024.

Rory McIlroy collected $4.2m (£3.1m) for winning nan Masters successful April - up 15% from nan $3.6m (£2.7m) Scottie Scheffler won nan twelvemonth before.

Scheffler's US PGA Championship victory successful May earned him $3.4m (£2.5m), fractionally up connected Schauffele's $3.3m (£2.45m).

Are Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods playing The Open?

World number 2 Rory McIlroy is group to play successful his 16th Open Championship.

The 2014 champion arrives successful his location state for nan last awesome of 2025 connected nan backmost of completing nan profession Grand Slam of winning each 4 majors.

His play-off triumph complete Justin Rose astatine nan Masters successful April saw him extremity an 11-year drought successful nan sport's biggest tournaments arsenic he collected a 5th awesome title.

Expectation was precocious erstwhile McIlroy appeared successful nan 2019 Open but he started pinch a ruinous quadruple-bogey 8 aft hitting his opening tee changeable retired of bounds. He would spell connected to miss nan halfway cut.

The immense mostly of nan expected 280,000 fans attending this week's title will beryllium hoping location is nary repetition and nan 36-year-old adds to his solitary Open title from 2014.

Three-times victor Tiger Woods will not beryllium playing arsenic he continues to retrieve from a ruptured Achilles tendon.

It intends nan 15-time awesome champion will person missed each 4 of nan yearly majors.

The 49-year-old American past competed successful a PGA Tour arena 12 months ago, astatine nan Royal Troon Open wherever he missed nan cut.

Who are nan favourites to triumph The Open?

World number 1 Scottie Scheffler arrives successful Northern Ireland successful a rich | vein of form, having won 3 of his past 9 tournaments - including his 3rd awesome astatine May's US PGA Championship - and vanished successful nan apical 10 successful nan different six.

The commencement to his play was disrupted by a trim manus that required an operation. The mishap occurred connected Christmas Day erstwhile nan upturned vino solid he was utilizing to trim pasta shapes collapsed and nan stem punctured his hand.

He had his champion Open decorativeness past twelvemonth astatine Royal Troon, ending associated seventh.

Xander Schauffele comes successful arsenic nan defending champion but accepts his shape has been mediocre aft he suffered a rib wounded astatine nan commencement of nan play - though he vanished alongside Scheffler connected nine-under par astatine past week's Scottish Open.

On seeing nan location of a photograph of himself successful nan media shelter astatine nan Renaissance Club, nan American world number 3 joked: "It was bully to spot my photograph retired by nan toilet. That was heart-warming. It summed up really I consciousness astir what's going connected correct now."

His chap American Justin Thomas has climbed from 22nd astatine nan commencement of nan twelvemonth to world number 4 connected nan backmost of a triumph astatine nan RBC Heritage successful April and 3 runners-up finishes this year. He is yet to radiance astatine an Open, though his champion decorativeness of associated 11th came astatine Portrush successful 2019.

Unheralded American Chris Gotterup sealed 1 of nan 3 last places connected connection by winning nan Scottish Open but British fans should beryllium buoyed.

England's Marco Penge, who had already qualified, vanished alongside McIlroy astatine nan Renaissance Club, 2 shots back.

Rose, who was runner-up astatine Royal Troon past twelvemonth and astatine this year's Masters, deed a seven-under 63 to leap up nan leaderboard and extremity 1 changeable down Matt Fitzpatrick, who had 4 rounds successful nan 60s arsenic he tied for 4th connected 12 under.

In 2019, Tommy Fleetwood showed he had nan crippled to tackle Portrush but vanished a distant 2nd to Shane Lowry.

He warmed up pinch 4 coagulated rounds astatine nan Scottish Open successful East Lothian and while he missed nan trim astatine past year's Open, he has had 3 top-10s successful nan erstwhile four.

Scotland's Robert MacIntyre is aiming to go nan first Scot to triumph nan title since Paul Lawrie successful 1999. He vanished associated sixth connected his Open debut astatine Portrush successful 2019.

Rising European Ludvig Aberg is emerging arsenic an all-or-nothing subordinate successful nan majors. In 7 erstwhile starts he has 4 missed cuts but successful 2 Masters appearances he has vanished 2nd and seventh. This is only his 2nd Open and he missed nan trim past year.

Ryder Cup subordinate Sepp Straka, who was seventh astatine nan Scottish Open, has a champion of associated 2nd astatine Hoylake successful 2023 but has missed nan trim successful each 3 erstwhile fields successful 2025.

Which LIV players are astatine The Open?

England's Lee Westwood will beryllium playing successful his 92nd awesome aft coming done qualifying to book his 28th commencement successful golf's oldest awesome - and first since 2022.

The 52-year-old erstwhile world number 1 is yet to triumph 1 of golf's biggest tournaments but has had 5 top-five finishes astatine The Open, nan astir caller of which was astatine Portrush successful 2019.

He is 1 of 18 LIV players successful Northern Ireland this week.

His compatriot Tyrrell Hatton is besides searching for a first awesome title. He had his 2nd champion Open decorativeness successful 2019, finishing associated sixth.

Bryson DeChambeau continues to excel successful nan fields pinch 5 top-six finishes successful his past 7 majors, including past year's US Open victory. However, his Open grounds is simply a small patchy pinch conscionable 1 top-10 and he missed nan trim successful 2019.

Spaniard Jon Rahm comes into nan arena connected nan backmost of a 2nd astatine past week's LIV arena successful his homeland and has 3 top-seven finishes successful his past 4 Opens.

Former champions Cameron Smith, Louis Oosthuizen and Henrik Stenson are besides successful nan field.

What is nan upwind forecast astatine Royal Portrush?

The BBC forecast for Royal Portrush suggests a mostly barren and sunny week pinch nan overseas chance of showers and temperatures up to 20C.

What is trim norm and play-off format astatine The Open?

The Champion Golfer of nan Year is decided complete 4 rounds with, upwind permitting, 1 information of 18 holes played each day.

After 2 rounds, location is simply a halfway trim and nan apical 70 players and ties will play successful rounds 3 and four.

Should location beryllium a necktie astatine nan apical of nan leaderboard aft each 72 holes person been played, location will beryllium a three-hole play-off connected holes one, 13 and 18 pinch nan aggregate people determining nan winner.

If nan lead is still tied, nan victor will beryllium decided via a abrupt decease play-off.