R&A BOSS HINTS PORTMARNOCK OPEN ‘GETTING PRETTY CLOSE’
R&A Chief Executive Mark Darbon during his press conference ahead of The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. (Photo: R&A/Getty Images)
By Paul Gallagher
Keeping with tradition on the eve of The Open Championship the R&A Chief Executive Mark Darbon held his press conference and the most interesting topic from these parts was hearing that a future Open at Portmarnock is “getting pretty close”.
Darbon was speaking on the eve of The 154th Open at a sunbaked Royal Birkdale where Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion after his win at Royal Portrush 12 months ago. That another venue on the island of Ireland is most definitely on the radar for future Opens is enough to sit up and take notice.
When asked about the feasibility of The Open being played at Portmarnock in north Dublin, Darbon said this:
“I think we are getting pretty close. 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 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.
“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.
When asked about the potential timeframe, Darbon was unable to give specifics. “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. We're hoping to have a pretty clear view by the end of the year for sure.”
Initial rumours doing the rounds suggest the earliest date would be 2032 for an Open Championship to be played at Portmarnock, and Dublin son Pádraig Harrington would welcome the chance to compete on home soil.
“I would love for it to happen in my time! Portmarnock would be an unbelievable venue,” said Harrington. “If it’s after 2032, I’ll have to go to a qualifier. Don’t worry I will,” quipped the Dubliner who won in 2007 and again in 2008 when The Open was played at Royal Birkdale.
The topic of Open venues also touched on renowned venues like Muirfield getting back on the rota and the impact The Open can have on a host venue.
“As I've said to you many times, we've got a great dialogue with Muirfield. We've just staged a really successful Amateur Championship there for the women. We're excited to return an Open Championship to that venue in the future,” added Darbon.
“It requires a few tweaks both around the golf course and across the site more broadly, but it's a good dialogue with the club and one that we'll maintain.
And how much does The Open impact host venues? “I think what I would say, first and foremost, is that these are all members' clubs. So, a lot of the decision-making is driven by the members themselves. I think where we are this week is a brilliant example of that.
“The changes to the golf course have been driven by the members. Given the strength of partnership that we have with our host venues, of course we're part of some of those discussions, and where there are things that we can do together that also help us operationally, they often make sense to do to help with the staging of the championship.
“But I think it would be wrong to say that all of the changes are driven by a need to accommodate spectators. They're ultimately decisions for the clubs and their members.”