# 2019 Open Championship
The 2019 Open Championship, the 148th playing of golf's oldest major, was won by Shane Lowry of Ireland, who finished at 15-under-par 269 on the Dunluce Links at Royal Portrush, six strokes ahead of [Tommy Fleetwood](https://www.edgepedia.org/tommy-fleetwood).[1](https://www.theopen.com/latest/2019/07/the148thopen/story-of-the-148th-open) • [2](https://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/2019/the-open-championship/R2019100/leaderboard) Played July 18–21, 2019, it was the first Open staged in [Northern Ireland](https://www.edgepedia.org/northern-ireland) in 68 years, since Max Faulkner won there in 1951.[1](https://www.theopen.com/latest/2019/07/the148thopen/story-of-the-148th-open) • [4](https://apnews.com/facts-figures-for-british-open-golfs-oldest-championship-32cf5af0a1644a0cb2a9eb6a7743acde)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Champion | Shane Lowry, 15-under-par 269 (67-67-63-72), six strokes clear of Tommy Fleetwood (9-under 275)[1](https://www.theopen.com/latest/2019/07/the148thopen/story-of-the-148th-open) • [2](https://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/2019/the-open-championship/R2019100/leaderboard) |
| Venue | Dunluce Links, Royal Portrush, par 71, 7,344 yards; 156 players[3](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2019/pgatour/theopenchampionship/factsAndFigures/Facts_and_Figures.pdf) |
| Historic return | First Open in Northern Ireland since 1951; Portrush in 1951 hosted, up to that point, the only Open not held in Scotland or England[4](https://apnews.com/facts-figures-for-british-open-golfs-oldest-championship-32cf5af0a1644a0cb2a9eb6a7743acde) |
| Signature round | Third-round 63, an eight-birdie, zero-bogey course record; his 197 for 54 holes set a tournament record at the time[1](https://www.theopen.com/latest/2019/07/the148thopen/story-of-the-148th-open) • [5](https://www.golfcompendium.com/2019/07/2019-british-open.html) |
| Cut | Fell at +1; 14 major champions missed it, including Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jason Day, and Adam Scott[1](https://www.theopen.com/latest/2019/07/the148thopen/story-of-the-148th-open) |
| Prize money | Purse $10,750,000; winner's share $1,935,000[3](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2019/pgatour/theopenchampionship/factsAndFigures/Facts_and_Figures.pdf) |
| Attendance and impact | 237,750 fans, a record for an Open outside St Andrews; more than £100 million of economic benefit for Northern Ireland[6](https://www.theopen.com/latest/economic-benefit-royal-portrush) |
## Venue and course setup
Royal Portrush occupies a unique place in Open history: the 1951 championship there was, at the time, the only Open not held in Scotland or England, and the first staged on a course outside Great Britain.[4](https://apnews.com/facts-figures-for-british-open-golfs-oldest-championship-32cf5af0a1644a0cb2a9eb6a7743acde) • [7](https://www.royalportrush.com/history/) Faulkner won with an aggregate of 285.[7](https://www.royalportrush.com/history/) The Dunluce Links was designed by Harry Colt in 1929, and its 16th hole, Calamity Corner, is a 230-yard par 3 with a steep drop-off right of the green.[4](https://apnews.com/facts-figures-for-british-open-golfs-oldest-championship-32cf5af0a1644a0cb2a9eb6a7743acde) • [8](https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2019/07/19/rory-mcilroy-tiger-woods-phil-mickelson-bryson-dechambeau-jason-day-gary-woodland-miss-cut-the-open-championship-royal-portrush)
**Making the return viable.** The 2019 layout measured 7,344 yards, 542 yards longer than the 6,802-yard course used in 1951.[9](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2019/pgatour/theopenchampionship/eventMediaGuide/Media_Guide.pdf) To accommodate the scale of a modern Open, two holes from the Valley Links were used to create a new seventh and eighth on the Dunluce Links; the par-3 8th, named Dunluce, was cut from land where golf had never been played.[4](https://apnews.com/facts-figures-for-british-open-golfs-oldest-championship-32cf5af0a1644a0cb2a9eb6a7743acde) • [9](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2019/pgatour/theopenchampionship/eventMediaGuide/Media_Guide.pdf) [Individual](https://www.edgepedia.org/individual) holes changed sharply against 1951: the 2nd was lengthened from 510 to 574 yards and the 14th from 206 to 473 yards.[9](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2019/pgatour/theopenchampionship/eventMediaGuide/Media_Guide.pdf) As the trade-off for the course changes and infrastructure work, the club was guaranteed at least three Opens in 30 years.[10](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/49070942)
## Field, cut, and weather-hit rounds
The championship began with a local shock. [Rory McIlroy](https://www.edgepedia.org/rory-mcilroy) hit his opening tee shot out of bounds and made a quadruple bogey at the 1st, adding a triple bogey at the 18th in an eight-over 79.[1](https://www.theopen.com/latest/2019/07/the148thopen/story-of-the-148th-open) His second-round 65 tied the low score of the tournament, but he missed the cut by one shot at +2.[8](https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2019/07/19/rory-mcilroy-tiger-woods-phil-mickelson-bryson-dechambeau-jason-day-gary-woodland-miss-cut-the-open-championship-royal-portrush)
**A cut that claimed champions.** The cut fell at +1, and 14 major champions missed it, among them [Tiger Woods](https://www.edgepedia.org/tiger-woods), Phil Mickelson, Jason Day, and Adam Scott.[1](https://www.theopen.com/latest/2019/07/the148thopen/story-of-the-148th-open) Woods and Mickelson missed the cut in the same major for the first time; Woods's 78-70 was the second-highest 36-hole score of his career in the event.[8](https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2019/07/19/rory-mcilroy-tiger-woods-phil-mickelson-bryson-dechambeau-jason-day-gary-woodland-miss-cut-the-open-championship-royal-portrush)
Weather shaped the whole week. Sunday tee times were moved earlier because of an adverse forecast, and conditions grew increasingly wet and windy as the day progressed.[1](https://www.theopen.com/latest/2019/07/the148thopen/story-of-the-148th-open) The wind was strong enough to break an umbrella; Lowry made four bogeys in the toughest stretch of the course without losing ground.[11](https://apnews.com/article/82136064d33d4882a109896165e25679)
## Lowry's championship
Lowry opened with rounds of 67 and 67, the second tying him for the lead with J.B. Holmes.[2](https://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/2019/the-open-championship/R2019100/leaderboard) • [5](https://www.golfcompendium.com/2019/07/2019-british-open.html) On Saturday, in flat, serene conditions amid raucous home support, he shot an eight-birdie, zero-bogey 63 that broke the course record for the new layout; he narrowly missed a putt on the last to join Branden Grace as the only man to shoot 62 in a major.[1](https://www.theopen.com/latest/2019/07/the148thopen/story-of-the-148th-open) • [10](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/49070942) His three-round total of 197 set a tournament record at the time for the lowest opening 54-hole score in the Open.[5](https://www.golfcompendium.com/2019/07/2019-british-open.html)
**A controlled finish.** Sunday demanded low long irons and sharp wedge play in much worse weather. Lowry closed with a one-over 72, the first time since 1996 that the Open champion finished over par in the final round; no one from the last 12 groups broke par, and no one got closer than three shots of him all day.[10](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/49070942) • [11](https://apnews.com/article/82136064d33d4882a109896165e25679) With a six-stroke lead heading to the 18th, he could enjoy what the championship calls the greatest walk in golf with the Claret Jug secured.[1](https://www.theopen.com/latest/2019/07/the148thopen/story-of-the-148th-open)
## By the numbers
The field averaged 72.17, or +1.17 relative to par, on the par-71 course.[12](https://datagolf.com/past-results/majors/100/2019) Lowry earned $1,935,000 and 600 FedExCup points from a purse of $10,750,000.[2](https://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/2019/the-open-championship/R2019100/leaderboard) • [3](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2019/pgatour/theopenchampionship/factsAndFigures/Facts_and_Figures.pdf)
The commercial figures were exceptional for a first-time modern venue. Attendance of 237,750 set a record for a championship staged outside [St Andrews](https://www.edgepedia.org/st-andrews).[6](https://www.theopen.com/latest/economic-benefit-royal-portrush) An independent study commissioned by The R&A put the economic benefit to Northern Ireland at more than £100 million, including £45 million of new money entering the economy.[6](https://www.theopen.com/latest/economic-benefit-royal-portrush) Northern Ireland gained £37.3 million in destination marketing benefit from over 5,400 hours of global television coverage, and the Causeway Coast council area alone received £26.21 million of new money.[6](https://www.theopen.com/latest/economic-benefit-royal-portrush) The club's own estimate is higher, more than £106 million for the Northern Ireland economy and over £26 million for the Causeway Coast & Glens area.[13](https://www.royalportrushgolfclub.com/the-open/) Of the spectators, 57.6% traveled from outside Northern Ireland (20.2% elsewhere in the UK, 18.2% [Republic of Ireland](https://www.edgepedia.org/republic-of-ireland), 11.1% United States), and more than 30,000 were under 25, including 21,000 children under 16 attending free.[6](https://www.theopen.com/latest/economic-benefit-royal-portrush)
## Contenders and storylines
[Tony Finau](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-finau) finished third at 7-under 277, and [Lee Westwood](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-westwood) and [Brooks Koepka](https://www.edgepedia.org/brooks-koepka) tied fourth at 6-under 278.[2](https://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/2019/the-open-championship/R2019100/leaderboard) Defending champion Francesco Molinari tied 11th at 3-under 281.[14](https://www.espn.com/golf/leaderboard/_/tournamentId/401056547)
**A breakthrough with history behind it.** The title was Lowry's first major. Three years earlier he had blown a four-stroke final-round lead at the U.S. Open at Oakmont, and he had lost his [PGA Tour](https://www.edgepedia.org/pga-tour) card the previous year after missing the cut in his previous four Opens.[15](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-golf-open-lowry-past/lowry-learns-from-bitter-past-to-savor-open-glory-idUSKCN1UG0OZ/) • [10](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/49070942) The win, before sold-out crowds, returned him to the top of the European Tour's Race to Dubai and placed him alongside fellow Open winner and countryman Padraig Harrington.[16](https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/148th-open-championship-2019/) • [15](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-golf-open-lowry-past/lowry-learns-from-bitter-past-to-savor-open-glory-idUSKCN1UG0OZ/) The symbolism ran deeper: the first Open in Northern Ireland in 68 years was won by a man from the island of Ireland, the [County Offaly](https://www.edgepedia.org/county-offaly) native Lowry.[1](https://www.theopen.com/latest/2019/07/the148thopen/story-of-the-148th-open)
## Aftermath and legacy
The championship was the first all-ticket Open and a sell-out. R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers described it as the blueprint for the future, with over 50% of tickets for Royal St George's 2020 already sold before Portrush ended.[10](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/49070942) On the strength of the sporting and commercial triumph, the R&A announced the Open would return to Royal Portrush in 2025, the second staging in six years.[17](https://www.bbc.com/sport/golf/58479535) There, Scottie Scheffler won the 153rd Open at 17-under par on the same links.[7](https://www.royalportrush.com/history/)
## References
1. [The Story of The 148th Open, The Open (R&A)](https://www.theopen.com/latest/2019/07/the148thopen/story-of-the-148th-open)
2. [The Open Championship 2019 Leaderboard, PGA Tour](https://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/2019/the-open-championship/R2019100/leaderboard)
3. [PGA Tour Facts & Figures: 2019 Open Championship](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2019/pgatour/theopenchampionship/factsAndFigures/Facts_and_Figures.pdf)
4. [Facts & figures for British Open, golf's oldest championship, AP News](https://apnews.com/facts-figures-for-british-open-golfs-oldest-championship-32cf5af0a1644a0cb2a9eb6a7743acde)
5. [2019 British Open: Winner and Final Scores, Golf Compendium](https://www.golfcompendium.com/2019/07/2019-british-open.html)
6. [The Open: Delivering more than £100 million of economic impact to Northern Ireland, The Open (R&A)](https://www.theopen.com/latest/economic-benefit-royal-portrush)
7. [History of Royal Portrush Golf Club](https://www.royalportrush.com/history/)
8. [McIlroy's charge falls short, misses cut by one shot at The Open Championship, PGA Tour](https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2019/07/19/rory-mcilroy-tiger-woods-phil-mickelson-bryson-dechambeau-jason-day-gary-woodland-miss-cut-the-open-championship-royal-portrush)
9. [The Open Championship 2019 Media Guide, PGA Tour](https://pgatourmedia.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/page/files/tours/2019/pgatour/theopenchampionship/eventMediaGuide/Media_Guide.pdf)
10. [Shane Lowry's Open win at Royal Portrush was a triumph for player and course, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/49070942)
11. [Lowry wins British Open in celebrated return to Emerald Isle, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/82136064d33d4882a109896165e25679)
12. [The Open Championship 2019, Data Golf](https://datagolf.com/past-results/majors/100/2019)
13. [The Open, Royal Portrush Golf Club](https://www.royalportrushgolfclub.com/the-open/)
14. [2019 The Open Championship Leaderboard, ESPN](https://www.espn.com/golf/leaderboard/_/tournamentId/401056547)
15. [Lowry learns from bitter past to savor Open glory, Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-golf-open-lowry-past/lowry-learns-from-bitter-past-to-savor-open-glory-idUSKCN1UG0OZ/)
16. [148th Open Championship 2019, DP World Tour](https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/148th-open-championship-2019/)
17. [The Open 2025: Royal Portrush named as host venue after successful return in 2019, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.com/sport/golf/58479535)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Racket and precision ball sports › Golf › Golf tournaments, majors, and tours › Major championships and team golf › Open Championship (golf)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license