Portmarnock Golf Club is to approach the Government to seek its support for a formal approach by the club to The R&A to host the AIG Women’s Open and The Open at Portmarnock Golf Club at some point in the future.
The news is somewhat unexpected given that the famed links course will host the 121st Women’s Amateur Championship next year for the second time having previously hosted in 1931.
It also staged The Amateur Championship in 1949 and 2019, the Walker Cup in 1991 and the international matches for the St Andrews and Jacques Leglise trophies in 2012.
Commenting, Niall Goulding, Captain, Portmarnock Golf Club said: “The Club has had informal contact with The R&A regarding the possibility of hosting the AIG Women’s Open and The Open at Portmarnock in the coming years.
“Without a detailed survey, it is not possible to verify the ability of the property to act as host to a major championship, given the significant infrastructural requirements of such an event. The Club has determined that Government support would be critical for a project of this magnitude and, consequently, will now approach the relevant Government authorities to establish their position on providing support for a formal application by Portmarnock to The R&A to host a major championship.”
Portmarnock voted in 2021 to change its constitution and allow women to join the golf club which then made it eligible to host R&A events.
Officials are believed to have paid multiple visits to the club last year with hype growing that it could become the first club outside the UK to host the Open.
At last month’s Horizon Irish Open, Rory McIlroy confirmed that the R&A were seriously considering Portmarnock as a host venue for the Open Championship.
“I think there’s every chance that they’re seriously looking at it,” he said at The K Club.
“So I think it would be fantastic. (But) there are so many other considerations to hosting a Major championship apart from just 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.”
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