It is a BIG event this week so a BIG write up is appropriate.
The Course
The Open Championship is being played outside Great Britain for only the 3rd time in the event’s 153-year history.
On each occasion – in 1951, 2019 & now 2025 – the venue beyond conventional shores has been Royal Portrush Golf Club – Dunluce Course in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
This course is awesome to look at but difficult to Play.
The conventional Open Championship rota courses – St. Andrews, Carnoustie, Muirfield, Royal Troon, Royal Lytham, St. Annes, Royal Birkdale, Royal Liverpool, Royal St. Georges – all sit along the coast but usually well inside the shoreline.
With the exception of the opening holes at Troon, they do not engage open water as theatrically as Royal Portrush does.
In large measure, that is due to the routing, which incorporates high points for tees, fairways and greens to maximize awareness of the sea and exposure to wind.
For decades, Portrush was celebrated for its intense links character while being slightly frowned upon for the undistinguished character of its last two holes.
“The best 16-hole course in the world” as it was called, finally got the treatment it deserved in the run-up to the 2019 Open Championship. That is when the club turned to distinguished English course designer Martin Ebert for a major overhaul that included 2 holes, the new 7th & 8th holes on land that was part of the Valley course.
Along the way, the Valley course got partially rerouted, and the land of the former 17th & 18th on Dunluce became part of a 6-hole junior course, as well as readily convertible into staging ground for Open Championship tented facilities.
Besides the 2 new holes, 3 other greens were redesigned and reconstructed by Martin Ebert , Ebert’s work in the run up to 2025 has been more limited, with a half dozen back tees added or expanded, 2 greens tweaked to be marginally more receptive, and the practice ground for The Open given more character.
The basic playing character & challenge of Portrush comes from its links setting – a dunes-filled site prone to windy conditions.
The par-71 , stretched to 7,381 yards, features modestly sized greens (averaging 5,700 square feet) & adequate but not overly generous fairways (24 acres). Its 57 bunkers tend to be small, pot-like in structure, set in low-lying basins. The ball runs towards them and tends to get “vacuumed” up, as if the bunkers functioned as a vortex or black hole. The effective gravitational pull of these pits is much greater than the actual area of their sandy bottom.
We did not get to see the High winds last week in Scotland, However, at Portrush all but a few are aligned on a SW to
NE axis, With the prevailing wind westerly to northwesterly, most of the holes thus play with a crosswind, either incoming from the left or sweeping across over the right shoulder.
Only 2 holes, the par-4 , #1 & 8, play downwind & only the long par-5, 7th plays into the prevailing breeze, Everything else entails a matter of tacking and anticipating the effects of wind coming at an angle.
The Wind will play HAVOC this weekend unlike last week.
Lets dive in & look at each Hole-
Hole 1-Par 4-
Hughie’s is 420 yds & with 2 bunkers players need to avoid off the Tee with the priority to get the Ball in the fairway & position the 2nd shot onto the 2 tier elevated green with a false front.
Hole 2-Par 5-
Giants Grave is 575 yds which has a new Tee that has added some steel to the Par 5 with players needing to avoid 3 bunkers up the right, Long drivers are capable of an Eagle or at least birdie as it is important to find the fairway for the next shot to Lay up in front of the cross bunkers just short of the green.
Hole 3-Par 3-
Islay is a short hole with only 176 yds & is one the highest points on this course with a view of most of the links course and right out to the Scottish Island of Islay. The green falls away on all sides & players w need a very accurate shot onto the Green, if they miss it is a VERY difficult up & down off the green.
Hole 4-Par 4-
Freds Daly is 502 yds & is know as one of the best holes on the course despite the out of bounds runs down all the way down the right of the hole so Tee shots need to be threaded between the left fairway bunkers & out of bounds. The Green is surrounded by sand hills & players will find it hard to find the target as the Flag is often partially hidden from sight.
Hole 5-Par 4-
White Rocks is 372 yds enjoys a stunning backdrop as its Green teeters on the edge of the cliffs, with 2 new bunkers added players can be aggressive to take on the green and often noted as a birdie hole.
Hole 6-Par 3-
Harrys Colt is the 2nd of the Par 3s at 193 yds with no bunkers around the green (check course out as it is well worth the time) it does have natural undulations on either side but players usually are happy with Par on this hole before they start on the “TOUGH” stretch of this course.
Hole 7-Par 5-
Curran Point is the longest hole @ 607 yds & is the 1st of the NEW holes as it cuts through the dunes. Players will have a downhill Tee shot with the biggest of bunkers on the right, the 2nd shot is then uphill through a narrower corridor to a well contoured green, The Wind will determine if players can get onto this Green in 2 shots, Accuracy is key with the better Iron players on Tour to shine here.
Hole 8-Par 4-
Dunluce is 434 yds is the 2nd of the NEW holes as this has been cut from the Land which has never been played before. A slight dogleg left to a Raving tempting the best players to bit off more than they can chew with a very steep bank. Players need to stay right to avoid 3 bunkers and leave the shortest path and simplest to the green, Any approach shot either left or shot may miss the elevated green, players do not want to be too below the elevated green.
Hole 9-Par 4-
Tavern is of 432 yds & is traditionally known as the “Hardest” with the hole gently shaping from right to left where a new bunker on the right will create a dilemma for players wanting to keep the driver in the bag with 2 cross bunkers frame the approach making the green appear closer than it is, The Putting surface is defended by shaped links bank to the right, leaving a very tough up & down for any miss. Walking away with Par on this hole is all important.
Hole 10-Par 4-
Himalayas is 450 yds & upon viewing this hole it is aptly named as a strong Tee shot is required to find the sharp dog leg 10th Fairway, there are NO bunkers on this hole but the aptly named Himalayas shows us the dramatic contours, New contours have been added to a very long & narrow green.
Hole 11-Par 4-
PG Stevensons the 475 yds was described by one of our Past tipped players from last week, Padraig Harrington as “the 11th Tee shot is one of the most difficult in golf” From the Tee players face a very narrow shot through the mounds either side of the fairway (accuracy not distance is key here) with an accurate drive to the corner of the hole is required to bring the Green into view for the next approach shot.
The Green sits perched amongst the sand dunes above the level of the fairway with a false front that will PUNISH any shot landing short. Again, you just have to view this hole, it is crazy difficult, there are numerous drone flyovers of this course available online, Well worth viewing.
Hole 12-Par 5-
Dhu Varren is 532 yds with a New Tee position has been created to play Par 5 Championship golf, A massive fairway slopes from Left right so players need to avoid bunkers on the right side, the green will be in range for the majority of players, however it is another elevated green with a false front, Any miss to the right with the approach shot could lead balls down to the waterway lurking in the gully to the right of the green. It is open to Birdie though & I would expect 50% of players to pick up a shot on this hole.
Hole 13-Par 3-
Feather Bed is only 199 yds but players will see a dramatic elevation change from Tee to Green (T2G) The green unusually runs from front to back & is surrounded by 5 bunkers. The front left has been altered however players should be able to spin the ball back from the back of the green to position nicely for at least a Par.
Hole 14-Par 4-
Causeway is 466 yds & has had 60 yds added, the narrow driving will need to avoid the new bunkers to the left side with the fairway sloping from right to left but the challenge will be the 2nd shot that leads into an elevated hogs-back green with a SEVERE slope to the front & back with a difficult bunker to the left.
Hole 15-Par 4-
Skerries is another hole well taking a look at on line it is 429 yds with the Tee shot uphill to an expansive fairway that slopes against the route of the hole. With a new fairway bunker to the right, players who cannot get distance here will at their own expense not be able to view the green for the next approach shot.
The big hitters will be advantaged as their 2nd shot to the green which is small compared to all the other greens here which is surrounded by bunkers to the left (Aerial view of this hole is gnarly) with a severe slope to the front and right. Players should still be able to post a birdie on what is considered the most photogenic hole on this course.
Hole 16-Par 3-
Calamity Corner is 236 yds with NO bunkers but the name says it all, The Tee shot is played slightly uphill over an expansive ravine of rough, it deserves a longer Analysis as it is most likely to play a BIG part of the outcome of this weekend.
One of the most dramatic Par 3s in the entire Open rota, this hole runs along the edge of doom and makes every golfer’s heart race as they stand over their tee shot. It’s one of only 2 holes @ Portrush with NO bunkers (the other being the par-4 10th) and plays slightly uphill, only 10 feet but enough to highlight the entire right side of a deep grassed crevasse, 50 feet below the green surface.
Hang the ball out there or come up short of the platform green and there is virtually no chance of avoiding bogey or worse.
The safer approach line is on the left, it provides a narrow path for feeding the ball onto the green, anything hit just left of the alleyway ends up in a bumpy, hollowed out short grass area that forces elite golfers to do what they hate to do, Think about the many options for recovery, with anything from a lob wedge, short-iron chip or putt as sensible choices.
Calamity Corner is one of those memorable theaters for the most interesting play in championship golf, Players with a long iron or fairway metal in hand, trying to deal with interesting terrain and finicky wind.
At the time of typing up this Analysis it is equivalent to 5:02am @ Portrush with heavy rain with the wind already @ 9 mph, Precipitation is 89% so could this weekend be already well defined with Rain, Wind & more rain & wind?
If this is true then Par scoring is ideal.
Hole 17-Par 4-
Purgatory is 409 yds & I had to giggle as I was researching this hole as a new back Tee has been added, A good long drive is required to find the back slope of the fairway to find the green. With a severe downslope (Purgatory) players going from a Tee to Green shot may think again with a new bunker to the left added.
Even players who are thinking a conservative drive off the top will still find the severe slope downhill into a very narrow green with bunkers left & right.
Aggressive players will be rewarded.
Hole 18-Par 4-
Babingtons is the final closing hole at 474 yds it has also had an added new Tee with players hoping to position the ball a long way down the fairway but to stay towards the left as it will give a good sight line to the 18th green for their 2nd shot.
The green does sit slightly sideways with a drop off to the left that will collect any balls missing on that side, the strong winds really blow hard across this hole so we need a player in front and not hoping to make up a shot or 2 late on this hole.
So, this event should prove to be more like the roller coaster ride than last week @ Genesis proved. It will have many twists and turns so please ensure you cover all players for the suggested Top 10 & 20 as it makes a difference.
I say this as it is impossible to back an Outright Win in Golf each week, No one can but we prove you can make Profit by back players in those other markets.
Why we are not backing Scottie Scheffler a favorite regardless of event, grass, or worldwide location, the 2025 PGA Championship winner will attempt to add his 4th major championship to his trophy case.
Knocking off the competitive rust with T8 @ the Genesis Scottish Open, his streak of top-10 paydays reached 10 straight events, including 3 in the previous x Major championships. The FedEx Cup points leader also sits atop multiple SG categories, including-
SG: Total
SG: Off-the-Tee
SG: Approach to Green
SG: Tee-to-Green
Making his 5th consecutive start at The Open, it is the only major championship where he has not reached the podium but he has earned a T7 paycheck from 2024 and a T8 from 2021, his 1st attempt.
I will say it time and again Scheffler provides NO value IMO @ $7 on Beffair or $6 on BET 365. This event is after all over 4 days.
We look for Value & I think by following up on a few of our past tipped Players last week we can get into some money here.
7 x Players & most importantly our recommendation is backing all Players with $1 each in 3 markets so that means a total of $3 for each player = to your usual staking.
So as an example, you would normally have $10 per Player as for your $1 on every market then $30 is invested in total in 3 markets for a return, Outright Win, Top 10 & Top 20.
For the total outlay of 1 event = 7 players x $30 = $210 to cover all 7 of your players in All 3 markets for 4 days of crazy Fun and Profit.
Last week we had pays of $15.80 (with only Nicolai) in the Top 10 with a few on the cusp that choked late but over in Kentucky we fared better with a few more in the Results with $69 so if you are a $10 player then your return for the weekend as still profitable with $848 in the bag less your $450.
88.44% ROI
The goal this week is to get more in the finish, we had Live options last week but alas a few like Harris English failed to convert on day 4.