The Open at Royal Portrush: Golf’s memorable moments in Northern Ireland

Royal Portrush will host the Open Championship for the third time from July 17-20.

Six years after Irishman Shane Lowry’s famous victory, the best players in the world will return to the County Antrim coast for the final major of the year.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the most memorable moments from the Open’s previous two visits to Northern Ireland in 1951 and 2019.

Lowry brings it home

Lowry’s major championship dream came true on his home island as the man from Offaly stormed to a commanding six-shot victory in 2019.

Northern Ireland had waited 68 years for the Open to return to its shores and Portrush delivered a week to remember as a sell-out crowd saw Lowry become the fifth Irishman to lift the Claret Jug after Fred Daly, Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy.

Lowry laid the foundations for his win by posting a stunning third-round 63 to go into the final day with a four-stroke lead.

He ensured there would be no repeat of his US Open collapse of 2016 – where a four-shot advantage evaporated during his fourth round – this time going on to increase his lead on Sunday.

And he had the luxury of being able to soak up the incredible atmosphere as he walked to the 18th green knowing he was about to become a major champion.

Rory roared on but narrowly misses the cut

Home hero McIlroy arrived at Portrush six years ago with the hopes of a nation on his shoulders.

And his supporters certainly made their voices heard on Friday as McIlroy, who had set the course record of 61 at Portrush as a 16-year-old amateur, battled to make the cut after an eight-over-par first round.

He fought hard in round two and, with vocal backing from his home crowd, edged so close to the one-over total required to make the weekend but fell one shot short to miss out in agonising fashion.

Faulkner writes his name in history books

When Royal Portrush first staged the Open in 1951, becoming the first venue outside Scotland and England to do so, it was Englishman Max Faulkner who tasted victory, having already given himself the moniker ‘Open champion 1951’ beforehand.

When Faulkner signed an autograph for a young fan mid-tournament, he was told he would go on to lift the Claret Jug, so he added the postscript ‘Open champion 1951’.

“I asked him for a pen, I put ‘Max Faulkner, Open champion 1951’ and then looked at it before giving it back,” said Faulkner.

“As I walked to the tee it kept appearing in front of me: ‘Open champion 1951’. It certainly looked good.”

Marker McNeill’s magic moment

On Saturday at the 2019 Open, Royal Portrush head professional Gary McNeill paired up with Paul Waring to act as his marker.

And McNeill used the day as an opportunity to show the world what he can do, draining a huge putt from the edge of the 17th green before enjoying his reception at the 18th.