History of British Open at Royal Portrush: Full List of Winners

The Northern Ireland course is hosting the Open for the third time in history.

Shane Lowry poses with the trophy after winning the 148th Open Championship. / Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

The British Open returns to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland this weekend for the 153rd Open Championship. It's just the third time in history that Royal Portrush has hosted the major tournament.

The Open was first held at Royal Portrush in 1951, but then took a 68-year hiatus before returning in 2019. The course is included in the tournament's rotation of nine courses that host the major. These now three instances of Royal Portrush hosting the Open mark the only three times the tournament has been played outside of England and Scotland.

Because the tournament's only been hosted twice at Royal Portrush before 2025, there are only two winners in history who have hoisted the iconic trophy on the Northern Ireland course.

British Open Winners at Royal Portrush

Winner	Year	Score
Max Faulkner	1951	3-under
Shane Lowry	2019	15-under

Max Faulkner won his one and only major title at the Open in 1951. The Englishman led the last three days of the tournament to take home the trophy. He won with a score of 3-under, two strokes above the next competitor.

The Open returned to Royal Portrush in 2019 when Irishman Shane Lowry won his first major title, and the only one of his career thus far. His 15-under winning score was six strokes ahead of the runner-up, Tommy Fleetwood. Lowry became the second Irishman after Pádraig Harrington's two Open wins.

We'll see who gets added to this list on Sunday.

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