'He’s A Flusher With A Good Track Record On Links Courses' - Wayne Riley Shares His Predictions For The Open Championship And Ranks Portrush In His Favourite Host Venues

Ever since covering The Open at Royal Portrush in 2019, I’ve been desperate to go back. So, you can imagine how excited I’m getting as we approach the fourth and final Major of the season.

I think the fact The R&A has taken The Open back to Portrush so soon tells you everything about how successful the event was six years ago.

That’ll definitely go down as one of my favourite ever events to cover as a broadcaster (overlooking Rory hitting one out of bounds on the first hole en route to a quadruple-bogey!).

I’d say it was the best Open in the last decade and the scenes on that Saturday and Sunday were just incredible.

Having someone from Ireland winning was a fairytale and it’ll take some beating this time around. But I’m sure the atmosphere will be just as good, if not better.

Not far off 300,000 fans will descend on the Antrim coast this year, making the 2025 staging the best-attended Open outside of St Andrews.

I was so impressed with every facet last time around, from the access to the atmosphere and, of course, the golf course.

There’s not a weak hole on the layout – thanks to the improvements that were made ahead of 2019 – and I think the par 3s are the best of any course on the Open rota, headlined by ‘calamity corner’, the unbelievable 16th.

Lowry made a vital par there during Sunday’s final round to all-but guarantee becoming Champion Golfer of the Year.

As well as being a beautiful layout, Portrush is one of the fairest courses on the Open rota.

Of course, luck plays a part at all Opens, but the fairways are generally flat and you get fewer dodgy bounces than at some other venues, like Lytham and Troon. I’d have it in my top three with Carnoustie and Muirfield.

Despite having relatively flat fairways, Portrush is actually fairly undulating and the green complexes can be tricky.

They are more sloping than some other Open venues and the run-off areas mean precision is required on approaches and short-game skill is needed when the players inevitably miss greens.

I’d say the most important attribute is putting the ball in the fairway, though. While length is beneficial on any golf course, I wouldn’t say Portrush is a track made for bombers.

Lowry won by six shots last time out and he isn’t one of the longest hitters on tour by any stretch. The same can be said for Tommy Fleetwood, who ran second last time out.

They are both outside the top 130 this year on the PGA Tour for average driving distance.

There will be a lot of attention on Lowry again this year, but most of the focus will be on McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler.

If you made me pick between the two, I’d go with Scheffler. It’s just so hard to look past him right now, and while he doesn’t have a huge amount of links golf experience, he’s played in four Opens and recorded two top-ten finishes.

One of those was last year at Troon, where he was in the mix during the final round but couldn’t buy a putt. He generally puts the ball in play off the tee, he thinks creatively about his shots and he possesses a great short game.

Plus, I feel like links greens can sometimes help those who aren’t the very best with the flat-stick.

As for Rory, he’ll be determined to come out firing after missing the cut in 2019, despite a valiant second-round 65. And he also has the course record at Portrush.

But there’s just so much pressure on his shoulders, and while he came through that at Augusta, I’m just not sure I fancy him here.

If you’re looking for a couple of other names to throw a few quid on, I’d go with Tyrrell Hatton and Ryan Fox.

I think Tyrrell will win a Major one day – he’s a flusher with a good track record on links courses – and Fox has just won his first event on the PGA Tour and also plays well on links tracks.

Who Are The Golf Monthly Team Backing To Win The Open Championship?

As part of our extensively researched and expertly reasoned guide to the best bets for the Open Championship 2025, the Golf Monthly team have picked eight players who have the form, profile and potential to lift the Claret Jug this week.

Read our thoughts by clicking on the link above, and drop us a line in the comments box below to share who you are backing for the final men's Major of the season.