Golf insider spots interesting link between 2019 Open at Portrush and 2025’s top players, including Tommy Fleetwood

Golf analyst Kyle Porter recently pointed out an interesting connection between the final top 10 from the 2019 Open Championship at Royal Portrush and the current form of several top players in 2025. He shared the list on X, showing how many golfers from the 2019 Open leaderboard are playing well ahead of the 2025 edition of the oldest golf tournament.

Shane Lowry, who won the 2019 edition at 15-under, is now ranked World No. 18. The 2019 Open runner-up Tommy Fleetwood currently sits at World No. 13. Tony Finau, who placed third at 7-under, is ranked No. 44 in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR). Both Lowry and Fleetwood have registered multiple top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour this year, with the latter recording his season's best T2 in the recently concluded Travelers Championship.

Other players from that top 10 include Tyrrell Hatton, now World No. 21, and Robert MacIntyre, currently World No. 14. Rickie Fowler, who finished T6 in 2019, is World No. 105. Patrick Reed, who placed 10th, remains active on the PGA Tour and is currently World No. 53.

Meanwhile, Lee Westwood (T4 in 2019) and Danny Willett (T6) have dropped far down the rankings, with Westwood at World No. 4631 and Willett currently ranked World No. 288 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Where is the 2025 Open Championship being played and what is the qualification criteria?

The 2025 Open Championship will return to Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland, the same venue that hosted the 2019 tournament. This will be the tournament’s third appearance at Portrush in the last six years. The event is scheduled for July 17–20, 2025 and will be played at the Dunluce Course.

The field for the event is determined through a combination of exemptions and qualification routes. Players can qualify by meeting various criteria such as:

• Past Open champions
• Winners of other major championships
• Top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking
• Top players from the FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai standings
• Leading finishers from the Qualifying Series
• The top-ranked player (not otherwise exempt) in the LIV Golf Individual Season Standings after LIV Dallas (June 30)

Additionally, there are spots available through recent tournaments and final qualifying events(via the PGA Tour):

• The top two, not already exempt, who make the cut at the Italian Open (June 29)
• Top five, not exempt, inside the top 20 in the FedExCup after the Rocket Mortgage Classic (June 29)
• Top five, not exempt, inside the top 20 in the Race to Dubai after the BMW International (July 6)
• The top three, not exempt, who make the cut at the Genesis Scottish (July 13)
• Top four players from each of the four Final Qualifying sites: Burnham & Berrow, Dundonald Links, Royal Cinque Ports, and West Lancashire (July 1)
• Winner of the European Amateur Championship, if still an amateur (June 28)
• Leader in the World Amateur Golf Ranking points accumulated across the St. Andrews Links Trophy (June 8), British Amateur (June 21), and European Amateur Championship (June 28), if still an amateur.