The Open 2025: Royal Portrush named as host venue after successful return in 2019
- Published
Shane Lowry held off Tommy Fleetwood to win the 2019 Open at Royal Portrush
The Open Championship is to return to Royal Portrush in 2025.
It will be the second time the Dunluce Links has staged the major in the space of six years after welcoming it back for the first time since 1951 in 2019.
Its long-awaited return to Northern Ireland attracted 237,750 spectators, setting a new attendance record for a championship held outside St Andrews.
Shane Lowry clinched the Claret Jug on that occasion, beating Tommy Fleetwood by six shots.
St Andrews will stage the 150th Open in 2022, followed by Royal Liverpool and Royal Troon in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
American Collin Morikawa is the reigning champion golfer of the year after securing a two-shot win over compatriot Jordan Spieth at Royal St George's in July.
'Special to get another Open' - McDowell
Graeme McDowell, the US Open champion in 2010, grew up in Portrush and has welcomed back the Open in 2025, stating the 2019 tournament was one of the proudest weeks of his life.
"We always knew we could execute a fantastic Open Championship. It goes all the way back to the Irish Open days in 2012," said McDowell, who finished in a tie for 57th two years ago.
"Everything that happened in '19, with Shane Lowry winning and the response it got with the best players in the world saying it was the greatest links course they had every seen.
"It was one of the proudest weeks for me growing up in this town. If we can get it back again I'll be very excited. Hopefully I will be there in a playing capacity and, like I said, I'm very proud for the town, for Northern Ireland and the whole island of Ireland.
"It's about the island and everything golf is in Ireland. People are so proud of what the players have achieved and we are proud of what Irish golf is all about, so it is special to get another Open."
McDowell finished in a tie for 57th when the Open returned to Portrush in 2019
R&A 'thrilled' as Open return announced
The R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers says it "could not be more thrilled" to be bringing The Open back to Royal Portrush.
"There will be huge excitement among golf fans around the world to see the best men's players facing the challenge of this magnificent links once again.
"The Open in 2019 was a massive success and showed just how much collective enthusiasm, passion and commitment there is to make Royal Portrush one of the leading venues for the Championship and to build a distinctive golf tourism brand for Northern Ireland."
Paul Givan, Northern Ireland First Minister, says he hopes the return of the Open will help Royal Portrush become a "global golfing destination".
"Following the outstanding success of The Open at Royal Portrush in 2019 I am thrilled to welcome the return of the championship in 2025.
"It has been a key aim of the Executive to bring The Open back to Northern Ireland quickly and as we start our preparations to host the championship again I am certain that it will provide a platform on which to build a global golfing destination brand for Portrush and Northern Ireland to complement that of St Andrews and Scotland, in partnership with The R&A, as well as an opportunity to stimulate additional private sector investment in the COVID-19 recovery era."
'Portrush in global golf spotlight again' - analysis
BBC Sport NI's Stephen Watson
The confirmation of the return of the Open Championship to Royal Portrush is a massive boost for Northern Ireland and for Irish golf.
The 2019 Open, won by Shane Lowry on the north Antrim coast, was hailed as a sporting and commercial triumph, with the event generating more than £100m of economic benefit.
To bring the event back so soon to Northern Ireland, which had to wait 68 years to stage its second Open, is further proof that the country is able to successfully host huge sporting events.
Royal Portrush was unfortunately unable to reap the benefits of the 2019 tournament because of the restriction on visitors due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but today's news puts the club back in the global golf spotlight once again.
Watch the announcement live from Royal Portrush on the BBC Sport website from 1100BST