The first Estonian to ever compete at a major golf championship is one of the most uplifting stories of this week at Royal Portrush.

Rain showers can be expected at times for the 153rd Open Championship, which is being hosted on the coast of Northern Ireland.

Two-time champion Ernie Els has been forced to withdraw from The Open at Royal Portrush, with the South African being replaced in Northern Ireland by Si-woo Kim

A mural of Shane Lowry holding aloft the claret jug adorns the side wall of a house just across the road from Royal Portrush.

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — A hole-by-hole look at Royal Portrush Golf Club, site of the 153rd Open Championship to be played July 17-20.

Royal Portrush Golf Club's rich history has been intertwined with the growth of the game in Ireland. From those early days when it was founded back in 1888 to its Royal Patronage some four years later through to the return of the Open in 2019 the links course has iconic status in the golfing world.

The Co Antrim seaside town hosted its first Open 74 years ago, when you could sneak in for free and send a postcard from the course

​​Golf-related tourists spend between three and four times more than regular ones. That is just one of the arresting statistics from Tourism NI, which has given a breakdown of some of the numbers behind the upcoming Open contest in Portrush.