A mural of Shane Lowry holding aloft the claret jug adorns the side wall of a house just across the road from Royal Portrush.

Shane Lowry feels he "managed to handle" himself well during his first round of the 153rd Open Championship at Portrush on Thursday.

If we have any quarrel with the mural, it's that Lowry stands alone. Portrush proper is home to barely 6,000 souls, yet the R&A expects over a quarter-million pilgrims this week. The mathematics should spell chaos, but when an entire community vibrates at the same frequency—when everyone wants to be here—logistics become footnotes. It just works.

Shane Lowry didn’t know what to make of the mural at first. He doesn’t look at himself as someone worthy of being celebrated as a national hero.

Missing the cut at the past two majors hasn't dimmed Shane Lowry's confidence as the Irishman returns to the scene of his greatest triumph this week.

Royal Portrush hosts the 2025 Open on Harry Colt's legendary Dunluce Links. Explore the only course outside Great Britain to host golf's oldest major.

The final major of 2025 begins on Thursday with the 2025 Open Championship, and after J.J. Spaun won the most recent major with odds longer than 100-1 at the U.S. Open, longshot bets could be a trendy way to attack the 2025 Open Championship on betting sites.

Royal Portrush has a storied history in the evolution of golf in Ireland as it prepares to host The Open for a third time

It is a strong test for elite golfers, and a very difficult one for amateurs and the average golfer. It was found as the County Club in 1888 and became the Royal County Club in 1892. In 1895 it became Royal Portrush.

Lowry feels “rejuvenated” and as prepared as he could be in his bid to become the first player to win consecutive British Opens at the same course since Tiger Woods at St. Andrews in 2000 and ’05.