Ranking the Top Five Courses in British Open History
By Matt Coles
#4 – Royal Portrush
At the tip of Northern Ireland sits an absolute beauty of a golf course, and the host of the 2019 British Open, Royal Portrush’s Dunluce Course.
The tournament travels to Northern Ireland for the first time since 1951, as Portrush hosts the British Open, 68 years on from its last effort.
On that occasion, Max Faulkner took the victory, thanks to three-under-par rounds on the opening three days of the tournament. A Sunday 74 saw him drop to -3, but it was enough for him to win by two shots, taking home the top prize of £300.
The Dunluce Course has also hosted the Irish Open in the past, with the event taking place at Portrush in 2012, the first time a European Tour event had been held in Northern Ireland.
The 4th and 5th holes on the Dunluce are signature holes on the front nine. A 480-yard par-4 is followed by a shorter dog-leg par-4, with views of the Dunluce Castle that overlooks the course. The 5th green is just feet from the edge of a large drop down to the beach.
Meanwhile, the signature hole on the back nine is the 16th. Named ‘Calamity Corner’ and known to the locals as just ‘Calamity’, the 236-yard uphill par-3 will see some big numbers taken on it this week.
There is a huge ravine in front of the green, with mounds and hollows to the back of the green, and don’t forget… It is 236 yards!