The men's major season, in 2025, has been storied and emotional. A grand slam has been completed, a new name has entered the winners' circle and fans have been captivated by thrilling Sunday finishes.
Royal Portrush will look to add to the drama and end major season with an Open Championship to remember, just as it did when it last hosted the sport's most historic tournament in 2019.
Home heartbreak for one...
Rory McIlroy was born, and grew up, an hour from Portrush, thus this was an Open Championship that meant more to him than any other.
Though he had already lifted the Claret Jug, after his 2014 success at Royal Liverpool, he was inching towards half a decade without winning a major and was desperate to succeed, not just for him but also for his supporters.
But his first round was a soul-crushing struggle which led to him missing the cut. He quadruple-bogeyed the first hole after hitting a female spectator's phone, finding a bush and taking a penalty drop.
The remainder of the round was not much better, and despite ending the front nine well, the back nine ended torturously.
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He three-putted at the 16th hole from around six feet; he then triple-bogeyed the 18th hole and carded a round of 79, eight over par.
His second round was nearly the polar opposite. He completed Portrush in 65 shots, to equal the-then course record, but he fell short of the cut by just a single shot. It was just the second time McIlroy had played but not made it to the weekend at the Open Championship.
But joy for another...
Irishman Shane Lowry was in contention right from the first tee shot and shared the lead, with J.B. Holmes, going into weekend after shooting successive rounds of four-under 67.
Lowry then proceeded to smash the course record (shooting a round of 63) to move four clear of nearest chaser Tommy Fleetwood. This was the exact 54-hole lead margin that had slipped through his fingers at the 2016 US Open at Oakmont, but he would not be denied in the decade's closing major.
In the challenging conditions (even for links golf) Lowry's one-over 72 allowed him to cruise to victory, by six shots.
Once Lowry had found the green at the 18th hole, his joy, smile and celebrations were the most heart-warming way to close out the 2010 majors. With his hands aloft, standing up to the forceful wind, and the crowd's roaring response- a home victory was completed.
It is his first and only major win to date but at a course that he dominated at so much in 2019, it will be hard to ignore the possibility of him competing towards the top of the pack again.
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Those behind...
Tommy Fleetwood finished runner-up with Tony Finau, Brooks Koepka and Lee Westwood rounding out the top five.
Koepka (who won that year's PGA Championship) had thus finished in the top five in all four of that year's majors. Since, he has finished in the Open's top ten on just one occasion.
Closing out the top ten were Brits: Tyrell Hatton, Robert MacIntyre and former Masters champion Danny Willett.