The Open

Peter Scrivener
BBC Sport senior journalist at Royal Portrush

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Robert MacIntyre had a frustrating Scottish Open last week, but says his way of dealing with that means it is now firmly in the past.

He went into the event at the Renaissance Club near Edinburgh as defending champion but finished 17 shots adrift of surprise winner Chris Gotterup.

"After the round on Sunday I picked apart some things that will help me going forward," said the Scot.

"I'm pretty good at telling everyone give me an hour. I can do whatever I want for an hour and after that, my job's done. I just get back to life.

"For two hours before my round, I'm preparing, so nobody gets in my way. It's warm-up, stretching, gym work, all of that. So there's an eight-hour window that I'm working.

"If you have a bad day at work, you're going to be annoyed. It happens more often than not for me as well."

MacIntyre comes into this week's Open as one of the favourites after recording his best finish at a major at the US Open in June where he finished runner-up.

He made his major debut at Royal Portrush in 2019, finishing in a tie for sixth at a venue he rates highly.

"The whole golf course is absolutely beautiful to the eye but it also plays absolutely brilliantly," he said.

"You've got holes that you've got a chance, and then you've got holes that you just try to hang on."

Stephen Watson
BBC Sport NI at Royal Portrush

Another momentous occasion for Northern Irish golf this morning at Royal Portrush.

Two Open champions - Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy - out on the course with one who would love to join that elusive club, Tom McKibbin.

After an early start on Monday, McIlroy was the first out at 6:45 this morning with Clarke joining him on the first fairway and McKibbin following on the green.

This will be Clarke's 33rd Open Championship, McIlroy's 16th and McKibbin's 2nd.

It's another busy day at Royal Portrush as we build to Thursday's opening tee shot for the 153rd Open Championship.

We have five live news conferences coming up today and we'll hear from the defending champion Xander Schauffele as well as world number one Scottie Scheffler.

Those press conferences will be available on to watch right here.

The 2011 Open champion Darren Clarke gives BBC Sport NI's Stephen Watson an insight into some of the perks he has at Royal Portrush, including his own parking space!

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Justin Rose said that he has hit the winning putt for the Open Championship in his mind "more than 1,000 times" during the early stages of his career.

The 44-year-old will tee off at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland on Thursday for the 153rd edition of The Open.

Rose has never won the British major but has twice finished second, in 2018 and more recently last year as Xander Schauffele lifted the Claret Jug at Royal Troon.

"The Open is probably the most emotional major for me," Rose told BBC Sport.

"As a British player it is one that I'd dearly love to win and is the one I've dreamed about winning the most as a kid, out on the putting greens as a youngster I've holed the putt to win The Open in my mind a thousand times or more."

You can read more of Dan George's interview with 2013 US Open champion here.

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There was serious pedigree in the practice three-ball of Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, who boast a combined seven major wins.

Schauffele, of course, is the defending champion this week, while Spieth won the Open title at Royal Birkdale in 2017.

Thomas is yet to find the winning formula in golf's oldest championship, although his best Open finish to date came on this property in 2019 (tied 11th).

Spieth attracts plenty of interest wherever he goes and it's no different around the Dunluce Links. He spent a good chunk of time signing autographs for his legions of fans.

World number one Scottie Scheffler, US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley and six-time PGA Tour winner Tony Finau had to take cover when Monday's Open Championship practice round was suspended because of thunderstorms.

Image source, Getty Images

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BBC Sport NI's Stephen Watson speaks to 2019 Open champion Shane Lowry ahead of the 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

Masters champion Rory McIlroy speaks to BBC Sport NI's Stephen Watson before the Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

Follow BBC Sport's dedicated Open page

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Two-time Open champion Padraig Harrington will hit the opening tee shot at this year's tournament at Royal Portrush.

The 53-year-old Irishman, who clinched back-to-back Claret Jugs in 2007 and 2008, will open play early on Thursday.

Harrington won his first Open title at Carnoustie in 2007, beating Sergio Garcia in a dramatic play-off after starting the final round six shots back.

He successfully defended in horrendous conditions at Royal Birkdale 12 months later, carding an impressive closing 69 to finish four shots clear of England's Ian Poulter.

Harrington, who also held off Garcia to win the 2008 US PGA Championship, missed the cut at the 2019 Open at Royal Portrush.

Matt Gault
BBC Sport NI senior journalist at Royal Portrush

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Golf fans descended in great numbers on Monday morning to catch Rory McIlroy's first practice round at Royal Portrush ahead of this week's Open.

Having arrived in Northern Ireland late on Sunday after missing out on a second Scottish Open title, McIlroy was out early for his first look at the Dunluce Links.

McIlroy's dramatic career Grand Slam-clinching Masters win in April has raised expectations that the 36-year-old can win the Claret Jug on home soil after missing the cut in 2019.

The world number two - who won his Open title at Hoylake in 2014 - delighted the sizeable galleries on Monday morning, holing a birdie putt on the 18th green before signing autographs for 15 minutes.

McIlroy is due to speak to the media at 14:00 BST on Monday, followed by 2019 champion Shane Lowry at 15:00 BST.

The defending champion Xander Schauffele is out on the course getting a feel for Royal Portrush on Monday.

Also out there is a man who knows what it takes to win on this course - Shane Lowry.

The 2019 Open champion is playing with Denmark's Rasmus Hojgaard on Monday.

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Ahead of this week's tournament, BBC Sport NI got some exclusive access to Royal Portrush with none other than 2011 Open Champion Darren Clarke.

He gave Stephen Watson a tour of the course and a guide to how to play, and possible win, at Portrush.

You can watch the film here on the BBC iPlayer right now.

World number two Rory McIlroy arrived back in Northern Ireland on Sunday evening after contesting the Scottish Open final round - and he's one of the first out on the Dunluce course on Monday.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

The best golfers in the world have descended on the Northern Irish town of Portrush for the 153rd Open Championship.

Six years after Shane Lowry lifted the famous Claret Jug on the Dunluce course, one of the world's biggest sporting events is back on the north coast of Northern Ireland.

This page will be your dedicated resource for everything from the Open Championship as BBC Sport takes you through every twist and turn in the crowning of 2025's 'Champion Golfer of the Year'.

Alongside our live radio and text coverage throughout the week, we'll aim to bring you some of the press conferences from the likes of Rory McIlroy and defending champion Xander Schauffele alongside expert analysis from our golf correspondent Iain Carter and reporters on the course.

Just hit the 'follow' button on website or app to add it to your 'MySport' feed.