Rory McIlroy will get the chance to win the Open on “one of my favourite golf courses in the world” after it was revealed that the event will be staged at Royal Portrush in 2019.
Last year’s champion missed his defence at St Andrews after rupturing an ankle ligament, but he has been a cheerleader for a return to Northern Ireland. Darren Clarke, Europe’s Ryder Cup captain at Hazeltine in Minnesota next year, and Graeme McDowell, Portrush residents, have also lobbied hard.
Asked whether he thought he would see the day when Northern Ireland would stage a major, Clarke said: “I’d be very foolish to say yes. I played a lot of my golf here, I lived here and was a proud member here, but to think we would ever get through the dark times Northern Ireland has had, to get to this stage where we have the biggest and best tournament in the world . . . ”
The only other time the Open was staged outside Scotland and England was in 1951, when Max Faulkner won at Royal Portrush. Depending on its success, the Co Antrim venue can look forward to becoming a regular part of the Open rota.
It is a huge coup for club and country. McIlroy’s affinity with the Dunluce Links goes back to 2005, when he set the course record of 61 at the age of 16. His scorecard from that day hangs on the wall at the club, where Clarke’s replica Claret Jug from 2011 is on display. McDowell’s brother, Gary, works at the club as a greenkeeper and the 2010 US Open champion said: “I will be turning 40 that year. To win a Claret Jug in my home town would be dream stuff.”
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Calls for the R&A to look farther afield have become a clamour in recent times. The Troubles are no longer a deterrent, the 2012 Irish Open at the same club was a huge success and the wholehearted commitment of the Northern Ireland assembly has helped.
The Open is expected to be worth £70 million to the Northern Ireland economy and Martin McGuinness, the deputy first minister, said yesterday that the news would aid Ireland’s 2023 cross-border Rugby World Cup bid.
“They are going to add a couple of new holes and that will make the course even stronger,” McIlroy said. “I never thought I would play an Open Championship at home. I’m really excited.”
Ian Poulter has kept his Ryder Cup hopes alive with some last-gasp negotiating. Having fallen out of the world’s top 50, he was ineligible for the WGC HSBC Champions in Shanghai, which would have taken him to the minimum 13 European Tour events needed to keep his card. Now Rich Beem, the former US PGA champion, has given up his place for Poulter at this week’s Hong Kong Open.
Poulter heads for Hong Kong after Beem’s generosity
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Ian Poulter has made a last-minute dash from Florida to Hong Kong to maintain his European Tour membership and remain eligible for next year’s Ryder Cup. The 39-year-old, an integral part of four winning Ryder Cup teams, dropped out of the world’s top 50 on Sunday and was ineligible for the WGC-HSBC Champions event in Shanghai, meaning that he would be unable to play the 13 events required for European Tour membership — only members can qualify for Europe’s Ryder Cup team. All the invitations for the Hong Kong Open had been taken up, but the European Tour approached Rich Beem, a former US PGA champion, who gave up his place to allow Poulter to compete.
Poulter posted a picture on Twitter of a FedEx parcel, writing: “That’s what you call cutting it fine, passports arrived 7.15am, taking off at 9am to make flight to Hong Kong.” The 39-year-old added: “Thanks to @beemerpga for giving up his invitation to allow me to play.”