Triple Major winner Padraig Harrington believes the sell-out nature of this week’s Irish Open should prove the British Open should return Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.
In a European Tour first the 27,000 tickets for each of the closing three days of the Irish Open already have been all sold.
Padraig Harrington hoping the R & A gives the green light to The Open returning to Royal Portrush. (Photo - Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.ie)
Enormous crowds also flocked to the course today (TUES) for the second day of official practice, so much so organisers indicated it now seems certain Thursday’s opening round in the Euro 2m event is headed in the same direction.
In its 140-year championship history the British Open has been staged once outside Scotland and England and that was in 1951 at Royal Portrush.
A decision to return the Irish Open to Northern Ireland since 1953 looks almost certain a financial windfall for organisers.
And given the stable political scene in Northern Ireland, and as evident by Queen Elizabeth 11s visit to Northern Ireland yestereday to Enniskillen and today at Belfast, and just 60 miles from Portrush, Harrington believes it’s time to consider bringing the British Open back across the Irish Sea.
“I had a long conversation with Peter (Dawson) and it was not just about the infrastructure but the political aspect as well,” said Harrington.
“But in say five or six years time it should be more of a reality to bring the Open Championship back to Portrush.
“Ireland and Northern Ireland is bigger than that now.”
Harrington’s competed eight times before, all as an amateur at Royal Portrush, and he retold a chilling tale of his first visit to the County Antrim gem.
“I had a great time coming here as an amateur but I remember one day we were stopped on the road to Newry,” he said.
“There was a roadblock ahead and when we asked what was going on a policeman told us it was just a small problem. It turns out it was a 500lb bomb on the road – just a small problem then!
“But people just got on with it back then. You just went and played, I came up here to the north a lot. Golfers are harmless anyway.
“We are much bigger draws these days though. It’s a different era now and politically it’s not gone but it is going away so it shouldn’t be an issue for the R&A. “
Max Faulkner winner of 1951 Open and the last and only time at Royal Portrush.
However the decision lies with the Royal and Ancient Club of St. Andrews ( R & A) and it’s always been CEO Peter Dawson’s official view Royal Portrush does not have the space to accommodate the infrastructure of a major sporting event as the British Open.
“Even if it doesn’t go well in that respect this week it doesn’t have to be absolutely perfect first time because they are allowed a few goes at it,” said Harrington.
“Everyone else is given a couple of chances to channel all those people around their golf course.
“So this week is not make or break and to be honest they have already made it a success by attracting this number of people already.
“I’ve always said Royal Portrush is my favourite course, having played here many times in the British Amateur, Home Internationals and the North of Ireland Amateur.
“I know the course would be more than suitable as an Open venue. It’s a fine test of golf but it’s also fair enough to give you something back.
“It would be a dream to play in an Open here and I have spoken to Peter Dawson about it before.
“So I can’t see a reason why The Open can’t return here. Challenge-wise the golf course is more than capable of being an Open Championship golf course.
“What I don’t know about is the other side of staging a Major Championship, as I have no idea of the infrastructure involved and besides I have not got into event management at this stage.
“I’m also not sure how the flow of people will go around this golf course this week but you need to host a big event like this to prove yourself.
“So if there is ever a good forerunner to getting The Open back here to Portrush then this could be the week.”
The current World No. 69 ranked Harrington will tee up in his national Open for a 17th straight year since 1996.
He will also be looking to end a four-year winless drought on either the European or PGA Tour’s but having captured the Irish Open in 2007 at Adare Manor, Harrington confessed he will tee up with the least pressure than at any other Irish Open.
“If I had not won an Irish Open before I would under this enormous pressure still to win an Irish Open but I’m not,” he said.
“I’m quite relaxed and certainly before 2007 the stress I was under coming to an Irish Open made it for a manic week.
“But I’m quite relaxed this week.”
