GOLF IRELAND CEO Mark Kennelly says Portmarnock Golf Club is “likely” to host future editions of the Open Championship and the AIG Women’s Open following an expression of support from the Irish government. 

The Irish government today expressed their provisional support for the idea, subject to certain targets being met. 

It would mark the first time the Open Championship would be held outside Britain or Northern Ireland in its history, with the 154th edition of the tournament to be played at Royal Portrush next year. 

“Today’s announcement that Portmarnock Golf Club will likely host both The Open and the AIG Women’s Open is a momentous occasion for golf in Ireland,” said Golf Ireland CEO, Mark Kennelly.

“These historic events will not only be a wonderful spectacle of professional golf, but they will also pave the way for impactful legacy programs that will nurture talent and grow the game across all communities.

“We are particularly excited about the prospect of the AIG Women’s Open taking place in Ireland as it would be a fantastic showcase of women’s golf.

“We thank the Irish Government for their commitment to securing these events and look forward to welcoming golf fans from all over the world to our shores.”

Taoiseach Simon Harris says “the potential to host The Open and the Women’s Open would bring endless opportunities for the country including showcasing Ireland on the world stage and promoting equality in sport.

It would also provide cultural, economic and social benefits and overall, be a major boost for the country.” 

The government want to see certain criteria being met in exchange for their full support. These include a full business case being made, along with a full exploration of the costs involved.

They also want a guarantee of multiple iterations of the events at Portmarnock.

The government estimate that 245,000 tickets could be sold per event, and three iterations of the Open along with one AIG Women’s Open could result in a gross economic impact of €338 million.

The government have also announced a funding package of €35-45 million to invest in Portmarnock Golf Club and the surrounding area. 

The Open returns to Portrush next year, having been first hosted at the Northern Ireland venue in 2019.

Since the success of that event – won by Shane Lowry – discussions have turned to hosting the tournament in Ireland, with Portmarnock identified as the prime candidate owing to its proximity to the airport and its capacity to host large crowds.

Approximately 250,000 people attended the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon, across the course of the week.

Portmarnock Golf Club helped pave their own way to host the events by voting in 2021 to abolish its ban on female membership, and thus in 2022 elected the first nine female members in its 128-year history. 

The earliest Portmarnock could host the Open Championship is 2027 – Royal Birkdale in Liverpool confirmed as hosts of the 2026 event – but any potential hosting would likely be at least a few years after that, with some infrastructure challenges to be overcome.

Martin Slumbers, the outgoing CEO of organising body the R & A, said earlier this year the challenges of hosting a championship at Portmarnock were “not trivial.” 

“It’s all about getting people in and out of the peninsula”, he said.

“It’s a tight little area, and to move that number of people, you need to be able to treat the people not just properly, but you need to have safety and health and all sorts of things that are really important. So those are issues that need to be resolved.”

Written by Gavin Cooney and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.