Backspin: His year was slowed by a rib injury that kept him out for two months. Padraig Harrington (2007-08), Tiger Woods (2005-06) and Tom Watson (1982-83) are the only back-to-back Open champions the last 50 years.

Rory McIlroy was there for the most consequential moment of Shane Lowry’s career, kneeling greenside when his best friend secured t

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Shane Lowry believes he’s figured out a formula to excel in the biggest tournaments, like this week’s British Open at Royal Portrush, where he won the Claret Jug in 2019.

The Open begins Thursday morning at Royal Portrush as the best golfers in the world vie for the final major of the season in Northern Ireland. This 2025 Open Championship will result in some early mornings -- or late nights, depending on your vantage point -- for fans stateside if they hope to keep up with their favorite players.

Lowry feels “rejuvenated” and as prepared as he could be in his bid to become the first player to win consecutive British Opens at the same course since Tiger Woods at St. Andrews in 2000 and ’05.

If we have any quarrel with the mural, it's that Lowry stands alone. Portrush proper is home to barely 6,000 souls, yet the R&A expects over a quarter-million pilgrims this week. The mathematics should spell chaos, but when an entire community vibrates at the same frequency—when everyone wants to be here—logistics become footnotes. It just works.

A mural of Shane Lowry holding aloft the claret jug adorns the side wall of a house just across the road from Royal Portrush.

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — How well do you know British Open history? Try this quiz: