Mark Darbon, Chief Executive of The R&A, has said he is cautiously optimistic that Portmarnock will host the Open Championship with a further update expected later this summer, but he admits that progress has been slower than he would like.
Last year the Portmarnock members overwhelmingly approved course changes to support the club’s bid to host the AIG Women’s Open (expected 2028) and the Open Championship (expected 2030). Darbon stated that feasibility work on the suitability of the links is still ongoing with the North Dublin venue proving a “complicated venue.”
“We remain excited by the potential to stage both an AIG Women’s Open and an Open Championship at Portmarnock. As you know, it’s a wonderful golf course and it would be a first for us. Long history of R&A championships in Ireland, but it would of course be the first Open Championship there if we were to go. It’s a complicated venue,” said Darbon at the 154th Open Media Facilitation Day at Royal Birkdale.
“So what we’ve been doing over recent months is undertaking a really significant body of feasibility work. If I’m honest, it’s taken us slightly longer than we originally envisaged, but good progress is being made, and I would say we’re cautiously optimistic about the ability to stage major championships at that venue. We’re hoping to bring some clarity to that by the end of this summer.
“I should acknowledge the wonderful support that we’ve had from the Irish government in terms of supporting us on that
feasibility work and their excitement around the potential for championships more broadly.”
The R&A confirmed that The Open will return to Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2028 for the first time since 2012 but it seems like a return to Scottish courses Muirfield and Donald Trump owned Turnberry are still some distance away from being reintroduced to the rota.
This means that should Turnberry return to the rota it will not be while Trump is sitting president. The US President still hasn’t confirmed whether he will attend this September’s Amgen Irish Open at Trump International Doonbeg.
“I think we’re there for the Women’s Amateur this summer,” Darbon said of a potential Open return to Muirfield for the first time since 2013. “As you know, in the same way with many of our venues, there’s some things we need to overcome to facilitate a modern Open Championship. The practice ground is one of those aspects, but there’s a few on course infrastructural points we need to work on with the club.
“That dialogue is a good one. The team from Muirfield are actually with us later in May to further that discussion. As with
all of these things, ongoing discussion. Still very much on our minds and a good dialogue.
Turnberry is still in our thinking,” he added of a potential return for the first time since 2009. “Not a huge amount of new news to report, I guess. We really like the golf course. We know that there are some logistical challenges that relate to staging a modern Open Championship there primarily off the course — road, rail, and accommodation infrastructure. We’ve got a really good dialogue with the club and its ownership, pretty transparent discussion there.
“So much like all of our other venues, that dialogue will continue, but I guess not a huge amount of new news to report
since the last time.”
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