MAGIC MOMENTS AT PORTRUSH

Royal Portrush is hosting the Open Championship for the third time. Six years after Irishman Shane Lowry's famous victory, the best players in the world will return to the County Antrim coast for the final major of the year. Here, we look at some of the most memorable moments from the Open's previous two visits to Northern Ireland in 1951 and 2019.

- 

Lowry brings it home

Lowry's major championship dream came true on his home island as the man from Offaly stormed to a commanding six-shot victory in 2019.

Northern Ireland had waited 68 years for the Open to return to its shores and Portrush delivered a week to remember as a sellout crowd saw Lowry become the fifth Irishman to lift the Claret Jug after Fred Daly, Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy.

Lowry laid the foundations for his win by posting a stunning third-round 63 to go into the final day with a four-stroke lead.

He ensured there would be no repeat of his US Open collapse of 2016 - where a four-shot advantage evaporated during his fourth round - this time going on to increase his lead on Sunday.