SOUTHPORT, England — A deal to take the Open Championship to Ireland for the first time could be struck this later this year after R&A CEO Mark Darbon provided the most positive update yet on Dublin’s Portmarnock Golf Club potentially hosting the links major.
Darbon went a step further in saying that although the process has been more drawn out than anticipated, he believed that once the 132-year-old links is ready for both the Open Championship and AIG Women’s Open, it would be considered for further editions for “many, many years to come.”
The No. 45 course on Golf Digest’s World’s 100 Greatest courses ranking is located 30 minutes north of Dublin and sits on a stunning peninsula that likely provide additional obstacles to host the Open.
The Open also has never been held outside the U.K. given multiple host Royal Portrush is part of the kingdom.
Speaking ahead of the 154th Open at Royal Birkdale, Darbon said a large feasibility study on Portmarnock was nearing completion and dialogue with the local authorities and government was underway.
“I think we’re getting pretty close; it’s a complicated venue because of the scale of the Open Championship,” Darbon said. “So there’s been a lot of great feasibility work with the golf club themselves, with the local authority, with 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.”
While St. Andrews is confirmed for 2027 and Royal Lytham for 2028, the R&A has not confirmed host venues beyond that.
“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,” Darbon said. “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.”
Pressed for a timeline, Darbon was unclear.
“Time frame … look, in the spirit of transparency, it’s taken a bit longer than I think I and we thought it may, but it’s complicated doing all of that feasibility work,” he said. “We’re hoping to have a pretty clear view by the end of the year for sure.”
In the meantime, Portmarnock members voted last year to approve potential changes to the course for the Open, including a proposal to make the par-4 second a par 3, as well as constructing a new green on the fifth due to safety concerns over players attempting to drive the nearby 398-yard par-4 third. The 17th would become the closing hole for the Open and the 18th would act as the first.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
