Open belonged to Rory McIlroy, even if he wasn’t the winner this time

Scottie Scheffler won the Claret Jug but it was the Northern Irishman who had the unequivocal backing of the crowd at Royal Portrush

Mon, 21 Jul, 2025 - 10:34

Andy Bull

The loyalist bands were out in force in Portrush on Saturday evening, for a two-hour parade that shut down all the traffic in and out of town. The R&A did its best to funnel the paying spectators in the other direction as they walked off the course, but there were still plenty of bewildered golf fans who got caught up in it all.

I was one of them myself. While I wouldn’t want to contradict the organisers’ description of it as a “cultural extravaganza”, if I had one note to pass on it may be that these sorts of local folk traditions go over better with the tourists when they don’t have sectarian overtones and a heavy police presence.

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