Golf chiefs are set to take The Open out of Britain for the first time in its 164-year history.
Following the huge success of the 2019 Open at Portrush in Northern Ireland, Portmarnock near Dublin is vying to become the host course in the near future.
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Outgoing R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers has revealed talks are ongoing about staging golf’s oldest tournament in Ireland.
He said: “Portrush was amazing. It’s very interesting that most of the people from Portrush had never been to the Open Championship.
“What we have said about Portmarnock is that the club has asked the Irish Government for assistance in preparing a business case to hold our championship on the Links.
“And we fully support the club doing that, and we’re actively engaged in making those assessments. But no decisions have been made because we don’t even know if it’s possible.”
Many in golf suspect that one day The Open could leave Europe and embark on a world tour – just as football’s wealthy want Premier League games to be played abroad.
Portmarnock has hosted the British Amateur Championship, the Irish Open and the Women’s Open. Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and other golf superstars have played here.
Slumbers also rejected calls for a direct channel for players from the rebel Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Tour to access the Open.
Currently, LIV players have to compete in separate qualifying events. Former US Masters champion Sergio Garcia missed out on Troon by two strokes this year after playing at the West Lancs club last week.
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Slumbers said: “We have 18 players from LIV in the field, and I think we have all the best players in the world.”
“And that’s what we want, all the best players in the world to come to us. So I think we’ve created those opportunities.”
“Will that change in the coming years? I think it depends on how the sport evolves.
“But we will continue to want the best players in the world to have a fair chance at entering the Open.”
The Open tournament has been played at 14 different venues throughout its history, ten of which currently rotate.
Each of these is known as a links course, which are usually built on sandy coastal areas, providing a firmer playing surface than other types of course.
It is the oldest style of golf, first developed in Scotland.
The 2023 edition of The Open will be played at Royal Liverpool Golf Club.
