Photos: Early Sights from Royal Portrush and The Open

The final men’s major championship is here. And as sad as that is, it’s tough to think of a better way to end major season than The Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. I’m not sure it gets much better than that.

The best players in the world are already on site getting some early work in, including Rory McIlroy, who grew up not too far from Portrush and will be the overwhelming fan-favorite over the next six days. Just hours removed from a runner-up finish at the Scottish Open, Rory said that he feels close to where he was game-wise entering the Masters. That sounds like trouble for the rest of the field.

The fans were out in droves to welcome their hometown hero back to Portrush, and Rory looked to be in great spirits.

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As for the golf course, I forgot just how awesome this place is. The Open hasn’t been here since 2019, so it's been six years since I’ve seen Portrush. And even then, we got some gnarly rain when Shane Lowry was named the Champion Golfer of the Year, which makes it a little harder to soak in just how beautiful this piece of land is.

And while Lowry returns as the last player to win The Open at Portrush, Xander Schauffele arrived on property as the defending champ. As is tradition, he returned the Claret Jug on Monday.

Xander’s still looking for his first win of the season, but is coming into the year’s final major fresh off a T-8 finish at the Scottish Open. Who knows, maybe he’ll be without the Jug for only a few days.

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I'm already looking forward to my 4 a.m. alarm to go off Thursday morning. That first cup of coffee. And I can't wait to sit on my couch of 10 straight hours.

The Open is four of the best days of the year. Enjoy it, folks.