Ladies and gentlemen... welcome to Royal Portrush - the latest addition to the Open Championship rota and arguably the cream of the crop already. Those who value the history and nostalgia of an Open venue may well put St Andrews first and understandably so but in terms of an out and out championship links test, I doesn't get much better than Portrush.
Growing up in Northern Ireland, you quickly learn of the 'big two' links courses in the country - Royal County Down, host of the 2025 Irish Open (and my home course) and Royal Portrush. These two mammoth venues set the standard for links golf in Ireland, whilst the presence of Portmarnock and Baltray (Co. Louth) in the East and the fabulous fairways of the likes of Lahinch and Ballybunion in the South West mean we are truly spoilt for choice.
However, growing up in the North means I am most familiar with the two 'Royals'. I know both like the back of my hand and yet I learn something new about each every time I play them. So what should the pros expect at Portrush this week? What is the best way to tackle this beast of a championship test?
Having played and attended professional events at the North Coast venue, here are the four key points I'd focus on as the pros attempt to tame the beast.
Don't go O.B on the first hole
Stating the obvious, right? To reword a classic cliche, you can't win the tournament on the opening hole but you can lose it - just ask Rory McIlroy after he made an 8 on his opening hole back in 2019 on his way to missing the cut.
Internal out of bounds can divide opinion but I think it makes the first at Portrush an excellent hole. O.B lines both sides of the fairways and although it looks far removed from the fairway, the firm ground and relatively dry weather we've had in 2025 means it is very much in play, even if balls don't fly directly into it. It's not the only hole O.B is in play either - it runs up the right side of the opening holes as well as at the back of the 5th and left of 18, for example.
Plop a mid to long iron down the middle of the fairway, aim for the center of the raised green and take your par - doing this four days in a row is a recipe for success at Portrush.
Keep it on the short stuff
Many of these tips seems pretty obvious but they're especially relevant at Portrush. Having recently watched the final of the Amateur Championship at Royal St George's, I was stunned at how far each player could miss the fairway by and still get good lies and angles into each green - this will not be the case at Portrush.
A warm, dry spring has turned into an even warmer summer with sprinklings of rain here and there - this has led to some of the thickest rough you'll see on the Open rota. It is crucial to plot your way around Portrush and hit as many fairways as possible - a look back at Shane Lowry's performance in 2019 shows he had his tactics spot on, opting for a lot of flighted, chasing 2 iron shots off tee boxes rather than mashing driver like these guys do on the PGA TOUR every week.
Hitting long irons off tees doesn't take danger out of play which is one of the many geniuses of the design at Portrush - it's not like other links courses where you can decide to take certain bunkers out of play by laying back or taking it over them. If you're hitting driver there will typically be some sort of penal pot bunker in the way and it's the same for hitting iron, you simply have to take the shot on.
As long as you avoid the bunkers, missing fairways by a yard or two won't be disastrous but it will mean the pros won't be able to control their spin as well as they can from the fairway, making approach shots into the firm greens that bit more difficult.
Leave yourself on the right side of the hole
Speaking of the greens, although they may look a little rougher to the naked eye than your standard, pristine PGA TOUR course, they remain as smooth and fast as they can realistically be for this championship. The severity of the slopes around the greens is one of the main features of the Dunluce Links, a crucial component to testing the best players in the world. Look at the first hole for example - some spots are a near impossible up and down, even for the best in the world.
The key to winning this week is to become automatic with approach shots and hit as many greens as possible, essentially taking bogey out of play. However, leaving yourself on the wrong side of the hole can prove treacherous, especially considering where the R&A can hide some pins and if the wind gets up.
The fescue greens are smoother and quicker than you think, so leaving yourself uphill putts that you can attack is of the upmost importance. Lag putting, especially in links golf, is arguably one of the most underrated skills a golfer can have - leaving yourself tap-ins rather than sliding, downhill six-footers for par is crucial not only for your score, but for your mental stamina. Sweating over knee-knocker par putts for four days, especially in potentially windy conditions, will break many a player this week.
Know when to attack or defend
The 2025 Open Champion will have conquered the four main tests this week - the field, themselves (from a mental standpoint), the conditions and, arguably most importantly, the golf course. Those final two points come hand in hand because as with any great links test, the course changes radically depending on conditions.
Shane Lowry's -15 score in 2019 proves birdies are there to be had at Portrush, but knowing when to attack and defend will separate the men from the boys this week. There are score-able holes on the Dunluce links - the Par 5 2nd and 12th holes as well as the potentially driveable Par 4 5th hole for example. If the wind allows, you must take advantage of these holes but players must also be aware not to force it if the wind switches. The 5th can turn from the easiest Par 4 on the course to a tough test with one switch in wind - having a good caddie and recognizing this will prove critical this week.
Like any great links golf course, there are times to attack pin positions and times to simply dump it in the middle of the green and play for your par - don't get your hand stuck in the cookie jar of Harry Colt's design will make a fool of even the best in the world.
