Shane Lowry’s 2019 Open win in front of ecstatic Irish fans at Royal Portrush remains one of the tournament’s great fairytale stories.
The Open was being played at Portrush for the first time since it debuted in 1951 and the man born over the border in County Offaly proved unstoppable.
Lowry lifted the Claret Jug with a winning score of 15-under, 12 shots lower than the 72-hole total of England’s Max Faulkner in 1951.
Several low scores were recorded at the 148th Open that week but who went lowest on the par 71?
65 – Rory McIlroy (round two)
Portrush was McIlroy’s home course and he was the huge crowd favourite to produce the memorable scenes that were eventually sparked by Lowry.
Rory’s tournament got off to a nightmare start when he took a quadruple-bogey 8 on the opening hole before slumping to an 8-over 79.
It left him an absolute mountain to climb but he very nearly scaled it, firing a brilliant 6-under 65 in round two. Unfortunately, it was one shot too many to make the cut, leaving McIlroy wondering what might have been.
65 – Xander Schauffele (round two)
We all know Schauffele is a superb performer on the links after he claimed victory in the 2024 Open at Royal Troon.
The American had also finished runner-up at Carnoustie in 2018 and he gave another example of his linked prowess with a 65 on day two.
That Friday score lifted him to 18th at the halfway mark and he remained in that position with a third-round 69 before sliding to 41st after a disappointing closing 78.
65 – Justin Harding (round two)
The South African had missed the cut in his only Open appearance at Muirfield in 2013.
Six years on, he made a modest return with an even-par but then roared onto page one of the leaderboard with a 65 on Friday.
It put him fifth at halfway and in position to challenge but laps of 74 and 76 on the weekend dropped Harding to 41st.
65 – Kevin Streelman (round two)
Like McIlroy, Streelman had endured a tough opening round, his 6-over 77 suggesting a missed cut was surely on the cards.
But on Friday he rallied. The American, who had broken 70 just once in four previous Open appearances, handed in a 65 to avoid an early flight home.
It proved rather a flash in the pan as a slow weekend meant he failed to make the top 50 for his fifth Open running.
65 – Danny Willett (round three)
While the 65s of McIlroy, Schauffele, Harding and Streelman proved just a moment in the sun, Willett’s 6-under score paved the way for his joint-best Open finish.
A 74 on day one had left him down the field but he climbed from 94th to 32nd at the midpoint due to a 4-under 67.
On Saturday, he really put his foot down and the man who had won The Masters just two years earlier, roared up to eighth with a 65. He held firm on Sunday to nudge into the top six.
63 – Shane Lowry (round three)
A pair of 67s had given Lowry a share of the halfway lead but just two shots separated the top seven on the leaderboard. It looked wide open.
But on Saturday, the Irishman left the field trailing in his wake, firing a sensational 8-under 63 to roar four clear.
Lowry made birdies at 3 and 5 before making a move with three more gains at 9, 10 and 12. Riding a wave, he then carded a hat-trick of birdies at 15, 16 and 17, holing everything he looked at.
On Sunday, no-one could get in a blow and Lowry pulled further clear to win by six.
61 – Rory McIlroy – 2005
Lowry’s 63 is the current official course record at Royal Portrush due to the changes it underwent prior to 2019.
But ask many a local and their first instinct is to quote the magical 61 shot by a then 16-year-old Rory McIlroy in stroke-play qualifying for the North of Ireland Championship.
The round, carded in July 2005, went down in folklore and earmarked McIlroy as a future superstar.
Michael Bannon, McIlroy’s longtime coach, told TheOpen.com in 2019 about his recollections from that day: “A member of the golf club phoned me and told me, and I thought it was a joke. No one can shoot 61 around Royal Portrush.”
But McIlroy did, making birdies at the final five holes to beat the then previous record by three.
READ MORE: Tiger Woods only fourth on biggest Open wins list – so who’s in the top three?
The post The seven lowest scores ever carded at Royal Portrush appeared first on Golf365.
Article Link: Open 2025: The seven lowest scores ever carded at Royal Portrush