The time frame may be taking longer than envisaged, but the R&A’s commitment on bringing The Open to Portmarnock Golf Club remains a viable proposition as part of a long-term strategy to place it alongside Royal Portrush and have two courses on the island of Ireland on the championship rota.
It is expected that Portmarnock will be added to The Open rota and become the first course outside of the UK to play host to golf’s oldest major championship, with the AIG Women’s Open forming part of the vision.
The Government has committed up to €40 million to support the necessary infrastructure work, in tandem with Fingal County Council, and also as part of its strategy to bring major international sport to the country.
“I think we’re getting pretty close,” said Mark Darbon, the chief executive of the R&A, on Tuesday. “It’s a complicated venue because of the scale of The Open Championship. So there’s been a lot of great feasibility work with the golf club themselves, with the local authority, with [the Irish] Government. We’ve undertaken a big feasibility study. That work is pretty much done. We’ve confirmed that we believe we can take an Open Championship there.
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“What we’re looking to do is build a model that opens up opportunities for the AIG Women’s Open and The Open for many, many years to come. So that’s the dialogue we’re in right now with the Irish Government, and we’re optimistic that those discussions are heading in the right direction.
“In the spirit of transparency, it’s taken a bit longer than we thought it may, but it’s complicated doing all of that feasibility work. We’re hoping to have a pretty clear view by the end of the year for sure.”
