The 153rd Open Championship will soon grace Royal Portrush, with superstars such as Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm and holder Xander Schauffele all vying for the esteemed Claret Jug
The year’s final major will soon get underway as golf’s finest return to Royal Portrush for The Open. This stern links test is the world’s oldest golf tournament, attracting the sport’s biggest names.
Leading players on the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and beyond will descend on County Antrim on Thursday with one last chance to get their hands on major glory in 2025. Toast of the town, Rory McIlroy, who won the competition in 2014, arrives as a Masters champion for the first time.
JJ Spaun is all set for his Open debut as the US Open winner and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler returns as the PGA Championship holder to a tournament he has yet to win. In the build-up to The Open, Scheffler was asked about his golfing priorities in light of having a young family and gave a telling answer.
LIV’s Jon Rahm has his eye on the Claret Jug too, and has revealed that he feels The Open is the most prestigious tournament in the world. Mirror Sport brings you more news as action in Portrush nears, including reigning champion Xander Schauffele’s startling admission regarding trophies, and an update about TV coverage.
Scottie Scheffler’s ‘quit’ admission
During a press conference in the build-up to Royal Portrush, Scheffler didn’t mince his words when asked about his priorities, admitting that if golf ever got in the way of his family life, he wouldn’t hesitate to quit there and then.
“I love playing golf. I love being able to compete. I love living out my dreams.” Scheffler began on Tuesday. “I love being a father. I love being able to take care of my son. I love being able to provide for my family out here playing golf.
“Every day when I wake up early to go put in the work, my wife thanks me for going out and working so hard. When I get home, I try and thank her every day for taking care of our son. That’s why I talk about family being my priority, because it really is.
“I’m blessed to be able to come out here and play golf, but if my golf ever started affecting my home life or it ever affected the relationship I have with my wife or my son, that’s going to be the last day that I play out here for a living.”
The BBC secure rights to air The Open highlights
Despite not renewing a contract with The Open to show tournament highlights that ended last year, the BBC have made a late and successful bid to rekindle their interest in the competition, says CityAM.
The BBC had long shown live action from The Open, but terminated that contract a year early in 2016, with Sky Sports taking over as the live coverage broadcasters. While the corporation continued with a contract to air highlights, this expired last year and many thought it would not be renewed.
However, the R&A have now penned a new three-year deal with the BBC for highlights that also includes the women’s game and the Women’s Open later this month.
These highlights will be aired in the evening after action for the day has commenced, and it is thought to be quite the boost to both organisers and fans, who now have another means of following The Open.
Xander Schauffele and his trophies
Schauffele’s year went from good to great in 2024 as he built on his US PGA success to land the Claret Jug at Royal Troon, beating out both Billy Horschel and a crestfallen Justin Rose by two strokes.
Schauffele will be forced to return the jug this year as he bids to defend it, but it seems that won’t bother the 31-year-old Olympic champion. In the tournament build-up, he disclosed that he isn’t a fan of keeping or displaying trophies.
Speaking to reporters in Northern Ireland, Schauffele was asked where he keeps his various accolades. He quipped that his parents “probably [keep them] in a bank vault.”
“What am I going to do with it?” he clapped back when queried on the fact he doesn’t know where his Olympic medal is. “I don’t really invite people over to my house. Am I just going to go look at it myself? I don’t want to walk into a trophy room like, ‘Look how great I am.'”
Jon Rahm’s honest thoughts
LIV rebel Rahm was tied runner-up behind runaway winner Brian Harman at the 2023 Open, hosted at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club, and he has admitted that the Claret Jug is the piece of silverware he would most like to hoist aloft.
“In my opinion, The Open Championship is the most prestigious event you can win in golf,” admitted Masters and US Open winner Rahm. “For my understanding of the game and the history of the game, I think the Claret Jug is the most special one.
“There’s an order to it too because it changes venues, so if you can win it in St Andrews, I don’t think anything in golf can come close to that. Obviously there’s different ones that have a lot of significance as well. The Open to me, I think that’s what it is. It’s the home of golf.
“Golf started in this part of the world. It’s the oldest championship we have, and that’s what makes it so special — the type of golf we play, the links courses where in theory is meant to be played, the elements, the weather, it’s quite unique. I don’t think there’s a word to describe it.”