It’s 2019 Open Championship week! I am excited about the tournament like all other years but the new venue has added a layer of intrigue.
In case you didn’t know, Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland is hosting this week for the first time since 1951 (it’s only other hosting), a big deal for a tournament with a pretty set rota of courses.
Golf Magazine did a nice write-up on the journey back to Portrush that you can check out here. The piece does a nice job of mentioning the violent history of Northern Ireland known as The Troubles, the main reason for the long gap in hosting the Open Championship. I suggest anyone so inclined to read up on this period in history.
I like to see a different course sprinkled into the rota every now and again. The 2019 Open Championship is a nice reminder that the host course doesn’t need to be in Scotland or England every year.
With all that said, I love to see new courses, especially overseas. I long for a trip to England, Scotland, and Ireland to really experience all they have to offer. I’ll be glued to the early morning TV coverage to soak up Royal Portrush as it gets its time in the limelight.
As for a pick, I’m picking hometown favorite Rory McIlroy!
Update
I’ve played a lot of new courses this year. Some of them have been profiled on the site already. I have at least 10 more course tours to put together.
With all of that golf, I’m obviously a little behind on the writing! But you do have something to look forward to. We’ve got courses from North Carolina, Wisconsin, Maryland, New Jersey, New Hampshire, and New York coming up. I think you’ll enjoy the photos and tours at some of the best this country has to offer.