THE GOVERNMENT HAS announced it will “explore a bid” to host one of golf’s most prestigious competitions.

The Open Championship is the oldest golf tournament in the world and was established in 1860.

It was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland but now rotates between coastal links courses in the UK.

The Open came to the Royal Portrush Golf Club in Co Antrim in 2019 and will make a return to Portrush next year.

The Irish government is looking at hosting both The Open and the AIG Women’s Open at Portmarnock Golf Club in Co Dublin.

It would be the first time that The Open has been played outside of the UK.

The government said the “potential significance of hosting The Open outside the UK for the first time cannot be understated” and that it would “present a key opportunity to deepen ties on both a North-South and East-West basis”.

Aerial view of 14th, 15th and 16th holes at Portmarnock Golf Club. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Any final decision to support the bid is subject to a positive outcome to discussions with The R&A and Portmarnock Golf Club over the summer and to a positive economic impact assessment. 

The R&A was formed in 2004 and is responsible for staging The Open and the AIG Women’s Open.

Engagement with Fingal County Council and key stakeholders, such as those in the transport sector, will also be undertaken.

However, Sport and Tourism Minister Catherine Martin and Minister of State for Sport Thomas Byrne both anticipate that a recommendation will be brought to government in the autumn.

Minister Martin said she was “delighted” by government’s decision to explore hosting both The Open and the AIG Women’s Open at Portmarnock Golf Club. 

She added that it “would have a positive impact on closing the gender participation gap in sport, and boosting women’s participation and equality in golf”.

Martin also remarked that Ireland is a leading destination for golf and that hosting these competitions “would increase Ireland’s reputation as a world centre for golf”.

Meanwhile, Minister of State Thomas Byrne also welcomed the move.

Byrne said “Ireland has consistently demonstrated its ability to host world-class major international sports events” and that this will be the case for The Open and the AIG Women’s Open should the bid proceed successfully.

The Open was won at Royal Troon last week by American golfer Xander Schauffele. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

He added: “I also believe that the hosting of these major international sports events can yield a strong participation legacy that will drive the growth in participation levels in golf, as the Government continues its work to get as many people as physically active and engaged in sport as possible.”

The 152nd edition of The Open was won at Royal Troon in Scotland by American golfer Xander Schauffele last weekend, while the AIG Women’s Open will be held next month at St Andrews in Fife, Scotland.