Rory McIlroy says Dublin links Portmarnock would be an “amazing” host venue for the Open Championship, after saying the R&A are “seriously thinking” about staging the event outside the UK for the first time.
Portmarnock has held the Walker Cup and Amateur Championship, and will stage the 121st Women’s Amateur Championship in 2024.
The Open returned to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland in 2019 and will be back again in 2025 after the event, won by Shane Lowry, was such a success.
Some concerns raised about Portrush in terms of infrastructure and access could also apply to Portmarnock, but McIlroy says it ticks a lot of boxes and would be a fantastic Open host venue.
“I think there’s every chance that they’re seriously looking at it,” McIlroy said about the R&A considering Portmarnock for The Open. “So I think it would be fantastic.
“I was looking forward to Portrush but (concerned) in terms of how it would do commercially – there’s so many other considerations to hosting a Major championship apart from it being a great golf course.
“There has to be a lot of stuff that that makes sense. But, you know, having a course that’s so close to a major city, so close to a major airport, having a great golf course, I think it would be amazing.”
McIlroy thinks Portmarnock would be a fantastic Open host
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Portmarnock had not previously been eligible to host The Open due to the R&A’s policy of not staging the event on a course that has gender restrictions on membership
However, Portmarnock’s male-only membership policy was ended in 2021 after a vote at the club, with nine women elected as full members in December last year.
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