NORTHERN IRELAND CLUB HAS CHANCE TO STAGE OPEN 2019
ROYAL PORTRUSH INVITED TO HOST
THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
NEWS RELEASE FROM THE R and A
The Open Championship is set to return to Northern Ireland for the
first time in over 60 years and only the second time in its more than
150-year history.
Royal Portrush has been invited
to stage The Open by The R and A and the County Antrim club’s members
will now be asked to ratify the proposal to enable preparations to begin
for what is expected to be the largest sporting event to be held
in Northern Ireland.
First Minister the Rt. Hon. Peter
D Robinson MLA, deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness MLA and
Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister Arlene Foster joined Simon
Rankin, Captain of Royal Portrush Golf Club, Peter Unsworth, Chairman of
The R and A’s Championship Committee, and Peter Dawson, Chief Executive
of The R and A, in making the announcement at Royal Portrush today.
The Open is golf’s oldest and
most international Major Championship. It has a broadcast reach of over
500 million households around the world and a record 4,468 hours of
television coverage of The Open Championship at Muirfield was monitored
in 2013.
Based on independent research The Championship is likely to
deliver a combined economic impact and destination marketing benefit of
£70 million for Northern Ireland.
The First Minister Peter Robinson
said, “This is wonderful news, not only for Royal Portrush Golf Club,
but for the whole of Northern Ireland. The decision to bring The Open
back to Northern Ireland is a tremendous vote of confidence in the game
here and follows the huge success of the Irish Open in 2012, the first
in European Tour history to sell out.
"The R and A’s decision to invite
Portrush to join The Open rota is a ringing endorsement of Northern
Ireland and I know we will deliver an event that we can all be proud
of.”
The deputy First Minister Martin
McGuinness said, “I welcome the official confirmation today by The
R and A that The Open will return to Royal Portrush. This announcement
will create much anticipation and excitement as the thought of our local
golfers challenging for the Claret Jug on home soil is set to become a
reality.
"Hosting The Open will leave a lasting imprint on Royal Portrush
and I wish everyone involved in the planning and preparation every
success and assure them of the full support of the Executive.”
The Open was held at Royal
Portrush in 1951, when Englishman Max Faulkner lifted the famous Claret
Jug after a two-shot victory over Argentina’s Antonio Cerda, on the only
occasion it has been played outwith Scotland and England.
Royal Portrush successfully
staged the Irish Open in 2012, with more than 130,000 people attending
throughout the week, and it has held the Senior Open Championship on six
occasions.
The Amateur Championship is being played at the Dunluce
links for the third time this week.
Peter Unsworth, the Chairman of
The R and A’s Championship Committee, said, “Royal Portrush is one of
the great links courses and we could not be more excited at bringing The
Open back to Northern Ireland. We welcome the support of the Northern
Ireland Executive and the various agencies involved who will play a key
role in the Championship.
"There is huge enthusiasm for golf in Northern
Ireland and throughout Ireland and we expect fantastic support for The
Open when it returns.”
For more information visit TheOpen.com.
EDITOR'S COMMENT:
And why wouldn't the Royal Portrush membership turn down the R and A invitation? Well, it is understood that one of the conditions of staging the Open is that the present 17th and 18th holes will be scrapped and become the area for the tented village, an integral part of the Open.
The R and A would supervise the construction of new new holes to take their place, but not as the closing two holes in the round.
Labels: OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
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