Taking The Open to The Republic of Ireland Just Might Work

THE R&A has said it is keen to "investigate the possibility" of staging The Open or Women's Open at Portmarnock in the Republic of Ireland. Having previously been against such a move, Golfshake's Derek Clements explains why his stance has softened.

I had a rant about this a few weeks ago, saying that I believed it would make more sense to first look at staging The Open in Wales. And I have to admit that my stance is softening.

There are two reasons why I did not believe The Open should should go to Portmarnock. Yes, it is a world-class golf course, but it is in the Republic of Ireland, which is NOT part of the United Kingdom, where both majors have always been contested.

And lest anybody has forgotten, it banned women from joining the club until as recently as 2021! Call me a cynic if you like but it strikes me that this ban was only lifted as part of this campaign - a campaign that traditionalists such as myself once believed should have no legs.

But you will recall that Muirfield was removed from the rota because it did not allow members. It lifted that ban purely and simply to get back on the rota. Royal Troon did the same thing ahead of the 2016 Open. And they are not alone in their historically dreadful treatment of women.

However, maybe it really is time to move on.

The announcement about Portmarnock comes after the club said it had contacted the R&A to say that it wanted to explore the possibility of hosting either major, and it is now looking for support from the Irish Government, something that seems inevitable.

There are those who will point to the fact that golf in the Emerald Isle is governed by a single body and that golfers from the Republic of Ireland have long represented GB&I at the Walker Cup. And they are right.

And as somebody pointed out to me, if Scotland gains independence, does that mean The Open would no longer be played there? Of course not.

I know that the atmosphere at Portmarnock would be incredible, and I accept that nearby Dublin Airport would be an ideal transport hub. There are also plenty of hotels in the area.

An R&A spokesman said: "Portmarnock is undoubtedly one of the world's outstanding links courses.

"We believe there is the potential to host our major championships there but it is essential that a full evaluation is carried out to assess whether it is feasible and what would be required to make it happen."

The Open and Women's Open have never been staged outside the United Kingdom, but the R&A pointed out that events such as its Men's Amateur Championship have been played at the Dublin course, with the Women's Amateur Championship taking place at Portmarnock next year.

"The R&A regularly stages championships and international matches throughout Great Britain and Ireland, including at Portmarnock, and have done for many years.

"We also work with Golf Ireland as the national body throughout the island of Ireland. We would like to investigate the possibility of taking our professional championships to Portmarnock as well."

Portmarnock club captain Niall Goulding said: "The club has had informal contact with the R&A regarding the possibility of hosting the 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.”

Irish Sports Minister Catherine Martin and Minister of State for Sport Thomas Byrne have issued a joint statement saying they they "welcomed the contact between Portmarnock Golf Club and the R&A regarding a possible future hosting of The Open and the Women's Open.

"This exciting news has clear potential for sport and tourism on the island of Ireland, and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media is open to engaging with the club to assess whether government support would be required to underpin a bid by the club to host such events.” 

Just because something has never happened, it does not necessarily follow that it should not occur. Of one thing I am certain and that is that crowds would be huge and passionate. Just ask Shane Lowry how he felt after his win in Northern Ireland.