Harman won the 2023 Open and is contending again at Royal Portrush, but his introduction to links golf was rocky, at best.

From championship links to luxury resorts, Northern Ireland offers world-class golfing and unforgettable scenery. Right now with The Open about to kick off it's one of the hottest golf destinations in the world.

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The "Golden Bear" and 18-time major winner won the first of his three Opens and completed the first of his three career grand slams along the southeastern Scottish coast in 1966, then called the par-71 layout "the best golf course in Britain."

Erskine, the club’s then-secretary of 35 years—who many credit with bringing the Open to Portrush—was waiting for a defining moment. Some visual cue from the universe to signify the accomplishment that Portrush, after decades of political turmoil on the island of Ireland before a peace in 1998, had enticed the R&A back to this part of the world.

Marc Leishman and other players voiced frustration over slow play at The Open, with rounds stretching beyond six hours on Thursday.

By the time Rory McIlroy finished his first practice round for the British Open at Royal Portrush, a big crowd that weathered rain and sunshine was waiting to see him finish.