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2025 Open Championship Tips

2025 Open Championship Info

Starts: 17th July 2025
Course: Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland
Par: 71
Length: 7,381 yards

2025 Open Championship Course Info

Course Last Used: 2019
Type of Course: Links
Fairways: Undulating
Rough: Thick Fescue
Par 5's: 2nd, 7th and 12th 
Premium on: Links experience

When did Royal Portrush last host The Open?

The most recent Open Championship played at Royal Portrush was in 2019. Shane Lowry emerged as the Open champion, winning by six shots.

2025 Open Championship Weather

We're in for a wet and windy week in Troon. .

Thursday
The wind will blow 12-15mph throughout.  Light rain expected throughout with thunderstorms possible later on.

Friday
The wind will blow 7-10mph throughout.  Light rain in the afternoon.

Saturday
The wind will blow 6-8mph throughout.  Light rain expected throughout.

Sunday
The wind will blow around 7mph in the morning and reach 12mph in the afternoon.  Light rain throughout the day.

Open Championship Betting Trends

Winning Score
Shane Lowry triumphed with a score of -15 in 2019 but he was six shots clear of the runner up, Tommy Fleetwood.  The weather is often the biggest factor in determining the winning score at Open Championships.

Correlating Courses
Links form is essential so consider form at other links events such as the Alfred Dunhill Links, Scottish Open and Irish Open (when a links course has been used).

Event Form
Of the last 19 Open Champions, 16 had recorded at least a top-9 finish at a previous Open before winning.  Furthermore, eleven of the last thirteen champions had made at least 4 appearances at The Open prior to winning.  Look for a player with proven Open experience.

Recent Form
Twelve of the previous sixteen winners had recorded a top 20 in their previous two events.

Nationality
An eclectic range of nationalities have won the Open in recent times. with no particular nationality dominating.

Age
Only five of the last 16 Open winners were below 30.  Experience counts for a lot and patience is a key requirement.

Major Virgins
Seven of the last fourteen Open winners were winning their first Major.

Debutants
Only three players have won The Open on their debut in the last 48 years.  None of those winners came at Royal Portrush.  Ben Curtis and Collin Morikawa won at Royal St George's in 2003 and 2021.  Tom Watson triumphed at Carnoustie in 1975 on his debut. 

Prior Year Performance
Despite the strong trend for winners to have posted a top 10 at previous Opens, of the last fifteen winners, seven missed the cut the previous year.  In fact, Brian Harman and Xander Schauffele were the only winners in the past 14 years to have posted a top 25 at The Open the year before they won.

Current Year Momentum
Ten of the last 14 Open champions had won an event in their previous eight starts.  Do not underestimate the importance of momentum.

World Ranking
In the last 24 years there have only been five winners of the Open Championship outside the world's top-50. 

2025 Open Championship In Play Advice

Fast or Slow Start
Every Open champion in the past 23 years has been within 5 shots after the first round.  When the Open was last played here in 2016, Stenson was 5 behind first round leader Phil Mickelson, who went on to finish 2nd. 

Just as it is important to be within touching distance after round 1, it is essential to keep pace at the Open as 80% of Open Champions in the past 50 years have been inside the top-10 at the halfway stage.  When the Open was played here in 2016, Mickelson was one ahead of Stenson. 

Over 75% of Open Championship winners in the past 20 years have been within 3 shots with one round to go.

2025 Open Championship Tips