The prospect of seeing the Open Championship come to Dublin got a major boost on Wednesday evening.
For several years, there have been growing rumours linking the famed Portmarnock Golf Club with hosting the prestigious Major championship.
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The Open has been held outside of England and Scotland twice in the past, with Royal Portrush hosting the event in 1951 and 2019. The Antrim club will once again host the only European Major this summer, and hopes of holding the Open south of the border seem to be gathering steam.
A major vote held by members of Portmarnock Golf Club on Wednesday has paved the way for the Irish Government and the R&A to make hosting the Open in Dublin a reality.
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Portmarnock Golf Club vote to make necessary changes to host the Open Championship
27 May 2021; Julian Kunzenbacher of Germany putts on the 8th green during day one of the Irish Challenge Golf at Portmarnock Golf Links in Dublin. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
In order to host any future iterations of the Open Championship, Portmarnock Golf Club are required to make significant changes to the course to optimise it for a Major.
On Wednesday evening, over 90% of the club’s members voted in favour of making such changes, in news reported by the Irish Independent.
The Irish Government had promised up to €40 million in funding to make the dream a reality, and now Portmarnock members will wait for the Dáil and the tournament organisers, the R&A, to make their next move. However, this move by the north Dublin club means that the city is closer than ever to hosting one of the most prestigious tournaments in the sport, the oldest Major.
The changes required to the Portmarnock course include converting the second hole from a par-four to a par-three, modifications to the tee location and green at the fifth, and re-ordering the 17th (now the 18th) and 18th (now the 1st) holes.
When the Open was last held on Irish soil in 2019, it proved to be a historic occasion, with Offaly’s Shane Lowry claiming his maiden Major in dominant fashion at Royal Portrush.
With his compatriot Rory McIlroy flying high off the back of finally winning his first green jacket, Irish fans can hope both will be right in the mix when the tournament returns to the Antrim club this summer. Perhaps, before too long, we might just see them vying for the Claret Jug just north of Dublin City.
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