Shane Lowry excited for Portrush return in 2025 but says Open in Dublin would be ‘amazing’

As the R&A launched the ticket ballot for next year’s return to Portrush for the 153rd Open, Lowry confessed a Dublin staging would be “amazing”.

“Obviously, Portrush holds a close place in my heart,” the 2019 champion said. “Portmarnock is one of my favourite courses in Ireland. I know the R&A have had the Amateur Championship there in the past and I’ve heard it’s something they’re looking at.

“Look, it would be amazing. It would be great to see at some stage. If it happens in my career, it would be great to play one there.”

A Dublin staging would require big infrastructure changes in Portmarnock and looks unlikely before 2033.

“We’ll see what decisions the people at the top make,” Lowry said. “To have it back in Portrush back next year is great. To have it anywhere on the island at all is great. I’m very excited about that.”

The 2019 Open set an attendance record for an Open held outside St Andrews with 237,750 packing Portrush.

That’s why Lowry is advising fans to enter the ticket ballot, which runs from July 1-31 this year with the results announced in August and September.

“The tickets are going into a ballot this year, not just on general sale, so I’d obviously encourage people to put their name in the hat if they want to go because it’s an experience that they will remember forever, and it’ll be everything they expect and a lot more,” Lowry said, rating the third-round 63 that gave him a four-shot lead in 2019 just above last month’s 62 in the US PGA.

“Saturday evening was probably the most special couple of hours I’ve ever had on the golf course, to be honest,” he said of the round that prompted massive demand for Sunday tickets from friends.

“A guy I knew, he has got his own little business, and he hired his own little private plane,” Lowry said. “You’d want to see the thing he flew up on from Kerry to Portrush on the Sunday to get there, a little propeller thing.”

After finishing sixth at Valhalla, Lowry is excited about next week’s US Open in Pinehurst, where he will be joined by Rory McIlroy and qualifiers Tom McKibbin and Séamus Power, and looking to improve on missing the cut by one stroke on his appearance there in 2014.

“It was very tough around the greens,” Lowry recalled. “Your iron play needed to be spot on. I feel like I’m a different player now than I was back then. I’m quite excited about it.”

Tickets for Portrush are available exclusively to members of the free One Club digital membership programme, with Championship Days starting from £100 (€118).