10 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW: THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP AT ROYAL PORTRUSH

The 148th Open Championship is being played at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. Here are 10 things you need to know about this tournament, broken down into 3 categories.

10 Facts To Know About Royal Portrush

Hosting History

1. The last and only time Royal Portrush hosted an Open Championship was in 1951. It's the only time the oldest major has been held outside of Scotland and Great Britan.
• Bonus fact: Max Faulkner, pictured above was the winner of The Open in 1951, taking home 300 (British) pounds

Holes to Watch

2. The 7th and 8th holes are new the course. They were the result of a redesign that rerouted some of the back 9. The 7th is a nearly 600-yard par 5 that could play easy or difficult depending on the wind. The 8th is a dogleg left that has a ton of undulation throughout the hole.
3. The 9th is traditionally the hardest hole on the course. Choices off the tee for the players include laying up short of the bunkers on the right, leaving a linger shot into the small green. Players can also eliminate the bunkers with a long shot but will have a smaller landing area to aim for, bringing the rough into play.
4. The final 3 holes are a true test of the golfer's skill. Start with the 236-yard(!) par 3 16th, appropriately named "Calamity Corner." Tee shots are slightly uphill and anything short right is dead. Plan to see many players not on the green in the collection area to the left.
5. Next is the 17th, a short(ish) par 4 at 408 yards and a definite risk/reward hole. A severe downslope into the green awaits golfers hitting it past the 300 yards to the top of the hill. You could see plenty of leaderboard changes on this hole.
6. The new final hole used to be the 16th the last time The Open was in Portrush. Golfers will contend with a green that slopes right to left. The collection area to the left makes for a challenging up-and-down to close out the round.

Interesting Facts

7. Besides the Claret Jug, the Champion Golfer of the Year also gets a gold medal.
8. The United States, England, and South Africa have the most players in the field, respectively.

9. Two sets of father/son duos have won multiple Open Championships. Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris combined for 8 total wins. Willie Park Sr., the first Open Championship winner and his son, Wille Park Jr. (pictured above) have a total of 6 wins.
10. There are only 59 bunkers throughout Royal Portrush. That's the fewest of the Open Championship Rota.