THE PROSPECT OF the Open Championship being held at Portmarnock is ‘getting pretty close’, according to R&A chief executive Mark Darbon.
The 154th Open commences on Thursday at Royal Birkdale near Liverpool, with Darbon speaking at a press conference today on the eve of the last Major of the 2026 season.
The Open has been held on three occasions at Royal Portrush in Antrim – 1951, 2019, when Shane Lowry was victorious, and in 2025 when reigning champion Scottie Scheffler triumphed.
The prospect of the north Dublin links course staging the Open Championship has been explored through ‘great feasibility work’, with Darbon revealing that they hope to arrive at a decision by the end of this year.
“I think we’re 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.
The Open Championship takes place at Royal Birkdale this week. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
“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.
“Time frame — 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.”
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'We're getting pretty close': R&A chief on Open Championship at Portmarnock
THE PROSPECT OF the Open Championship being held at Portmarnock is ‘getting pretty close’, according to R&A chief executive Mark Darbon.
The 154th Open commences on Thursday at Royal Birkdale near Liverpool, with Darbon speaking at a press conference today on the eve of the last Major of the 2026 season.
The Open has been held on three occasions at Royal Portrush in Antrim – 1951, 2019, when Shane Lowry was victorious, and in 2025 when reigning champion Scottie Scheffler triumphed.
The prospect of the north Dublin links course staging the Open Championship has been explored through ‘great feasibility work’, with Darbon revealing that they hope to arrive at a decision by the end of this year.
“I think we’re 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.
“Time frame — 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.”
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Golf Golf Major Portmarnock The Open