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

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.

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.

Set the coffee pot for the wee hours of the morning, because we’re heading to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland for the British Open this week. It’s going to be an early start for fans in the United States, but it should be well worth it with all of the drama and the fantastic return to links-style golf that should excite golf fans far and wide.

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

Shane Lowry is six years removed from his greatest golf moment, which took place at Royal Portrush, when he lifted the Claret Jug as the 2019 British Open winner. This week, he returns to the scene of that glory as the 153rd Open begins there on Thursday.

Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland will present one final major championship test this season as the world's best golfers chase after one of the most coveted prizes in golf: the Claret Jug.