Staff WriterWhile the greats of the game stalk fairways and fret over putts on the windswept links of Royal Portrush, another giant has quietly returned to his rightful place—not on the leaderboard, but etched into the earth itself.
The Finn McCool sand mural is a sweeping homage to Ireland’s mythical hero, has appeared like a ghost of granite past along the shoreline by the 6th hole, and it’s causing quite the stir.
This isn’t just a doodle in the dunes. At daybreak, with the Atlantic glinting behind him, local sand artist Manuel Frolich unveiled a colossal tribute to Finn McCool—the barehanded behemoth said to have built the Giant’s Causeway one stone at a time in a spat with a Scottish rival.
The Finn McCool sand mural sprawls across the rugged beachscape, visible from the skies and fairways alike, a hauntingly beautiful reminder that the land itself has legends to tell.
Crafted in collaboration with Reflo—the sustainable sportswear brand and Official Licensee of The Open—this is no corporate gimmick.
Using nothing but natural materials and sustainable techniques, Frolich’s work was shaped by nature, and as nature always does, it will reclaim it in time. But for now, it stands tall—if not literally, then spiritually—alongside the modern titans battling on the links above.
“In Irish mythology, Finn McCool was said to have carved the Causeway stones with his bare hands, laying a path across the sea to confront the Scottish giant Benandonner,” reads the official campaign blurb.
And with The Open back in Northern Ireland, it’s hard not to feel that Finn’s spirit has returned—not to duel, but to remind us of the power of place, legacy, and a story well told.
This ephemeral mural is the centrepiece of Reflo’s “Where Giants Play” campaign, a creative push that weaves together folklore, ambition, and a hearty respect for the land underfoot.
It’s a clever move from a brand focused on performance wear that doesn’t cost the Earth—literally. As they put it: “Like all legends, it will linger in memory even after the tides wash it away.”
And linger it does. There’s something stirring about a giant watching quietly from the shoreline as today’s players tilt at immortality just yards away.
While the leaderboard shifts and golf balls vanish into the gorse, Finn McCool watches on—silent, sculpted, eternal.
If the Open has always been a stage for giants, it’s only fitting that one has finally joined the gallery.
You can see more about the Giants capsule and Reflo’s work with The Open here.
