Rory favourite to win on home soil
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy is the ante-post favourite with the bookies to win the Open on home soil, the 30-year-old quoted at 8/1 to lift the Claret Jug for a second time. Four-time Major winner Brooks Koepka is 10/1 to win the Open for the first time, three-time champion Tiger Woods is 16/1.
History lesson
68 years ago, England’s Max Faulkner won the only Open Championship previously held at Royal Portrush. He led a field of 98 players, winning on three-under-par, 285, two ahead of Argentina’s Antonio Cerda, earning US$840 from a prize fund of US$4,760; the 2019 champion will bank US$1,935,000 from US$10,750,000.
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Past champions to the fore
14 ex-holders of the Claret Jug, 18 British Open titles between them take to the links at Royal Portrush. Leading the way, three-time winner Tiger Woods, followed by two-time champions Pádraig Harrington and Ernie Els. Holder Francesco Molinari will be keen to emulate Harrington and Woods by successfully defending.
Long odds on Asian winner
No Asian golfer has ever won the Open Championship in 148 events over 158 years. Taiwan’s Lu Liang-Huan, a.k.a ‘Mr. Lu’ coming closest, finishing runner-up back in 1971. Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama is best-backed Asian at 33/1, China’s Li Haotong, third in 2017, is quoted at 100/1.
R&A hope for greenest Open ever
The R&A is working hard to ensure the 148th Open is the most sustainable of the modern era. “We work really hard with our partners on waste, energy, we’ve removed single-use plastic, zero to landfill, we are very conscious that we want to be part of the community,” said Martin Slumbers, R&A CEO.
G-Mac’s back!
Portrush-born Graeme McDowell, down to 238 on the OWGR in 2018, “had that conversation with myself” if he wanted to play the Open over his home course. “I enjoyed the act of pulling myself out of the hole I’d dug for myself,” and it worked; the 2010 US Open champion qualified in June. “It’s been good, I’m excited to be here.”
From Mike Wilson at Royal Portrush
