Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell last night hailed the R&A’s expected decision to stage The Open Championship at Royal Portrush, probably in 2019.

A month after insisting it remained “some distance” from being able to stage the Open in the North for the first time since 1951, the R&A is set to announce Royal Portrush will host the championship in 2019.

The R&A insists it remains "some distance" from being able to stage the British Open in Northern Ireland for the first time since 1951.

Royal Portrush officials were as flabbergasted as Graeme McDowell when they heard PGA of America president Ted Bishop suggest the Dunluce Links could become the first course outside the States to host the US PGA Championship.

The R&A have denied a report that the Open Championship will be staged at Royal Portrush in Co Antrim in 2018.

A week that meant so much to Northern Ireland turned out to mean even more for Welshman Jamie Donaldson tonight.

When Simon Dyson won the Irish Open in Killarney a year ago he had no idea his title defence would be such a special tournament.

It took 17 years for Pádraig Harrington to return to his favourite golf course in the world and just 18 holes around Royal Portrush to convince him it was a worthy venue for not just an Irish Open but an Open Championship as well.

One practice round today was enough to tell Padraig Harrington that it is no ordinary Irish Open this week.

Portrush will live up to its famous road sign in four weeks’ time when it becomes the “Major Golf Capital of the World” for the first Ulster staging of the Irish Open for 59 years.

WITH the Irish Open set for Portrush in June, it will be fascinating to see if Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy can attract the quality of field that has been so conspicuously absent for much of the last decade.

THE RETURN of the Irish Open this year to Royal Portrush will act as a dry run for bringing the British Open Championship to the Dunluce links at the famed Antrim links in the future.

CHRISTY O’CONNOR SNR celebrates his 87th birthday tomorrow.

IN advocating what will seem a somewhat heretical suggestion, I am in no way denigrating either the current venue, Killarney, or the many other outstanding courses that have staged our national Open over the years.

As Rory McIlroy travelled home from America today, US Open trophy on board, another runaway winner of the title has spelt out what it means.

SEVEN Irish courses, led by Royal Co Down, have been included in the world’s top 100 in the acclaimed Golf Magazine.

THE OPEN Championship will return to Turnberry some time, but the prospects of it ever coming to a course on this island are remote.

It is now 58 years since the North staged its one and only Open Championship, but Darren Clarke believes Royal Portrush deserves to be considered as a venue again.

TIGER WOODS has been out on the Turnberry links for the last two mornings while the vast majority of us were still fast asleep.

Former Ryder Cup player Thomas Levet dedicated victory to Seve Ballesteros after lifting the Spanish Open trophy in Girona today.

France’s Thomas Levet has a two-stroke lead going into the final round of the Spanish Open in Girona.

Ryder Cup player Soren Hansen made a complete mess of the same hole for the second day running to hand Frenchman Thomas Levet a three-stroke lead midway through the third round of the Spanish Open in Girona today, with Ireland's Peter Lawrie sitting pretty in second place.

Two double bogeys today destroyed any hopes John Daly had of a top 10 finish on his return to golf this week.

Nobody has made a successful defence of the Spanish Open since Max Faulkner way back in 1953.

Not many golfers hug their caddie halfway through an event, but for former Ryder Cup star Ignacio Garrido it was perfectly understandable on Friday.

The sun shone, but the big names did not in the opening round of the Spanish Open in Seville on Thursday.

It was all a bit of a battle for Colin Montgomerie on his return to action today – and not just with his golf.

Not since Max Faulkner in 1953 has anybody managed a successful defence of the Spanish Open, but a golden opportunity has presented itself to Niclas Fasth this week.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM has beaten stiff competition from Michael Campbell and Colin Montgomerie to create more golfing history.

Annika Sorenstam has beaten stiff competition from Michael Campbell and Colin Montgomerie to create more golfing history.

ENGLAND’S Kenneth Ferrie kept his nerve to win his first European tour title in Tenerife yesterday.

England's Kenneth Ferrie kept his nerve to win his first European tour title in Tenerife today.

Birdies and eagles were the order of the day again at the Canaries Spanish Open in Tenerife today – but overnight leaders Paul Casey and Miles Tunnicliff both missed out at the start of their third rounds.

England’s Paul Casey and Miles Tunnicliff put a dent in Jose Maria Olazabal’s hopes of a first-ever Spanish Open title in Tenerife today.

SOUTH AFRICAN Charl Schwartzel yesterday gave himself another chance to become the youngest winner in European Tour history.

South African Charl Schwartzel today gave himself another chance to become the youngest winner in European Tour history.

Swede Jarmo Sandelin and Denmark’s Soren Hansen both began the Canaries Spanish Open with eight-under-par rounds of 64 today – and then said they would not be surprised to see somebody shooting the European Tour’s first-ever 59.

Former winners Brian Davis and Andrew Sherborne showed their liking for the Spanish Open again today, taking a share of the early first round lead in Tenerife.

SEVE BALLESTEROS yesterday called for some radical changes in professional golf — to make the game harder to play.

THE younger generation may have gained the impression that the misbehaviour which marred the 1999 Ryder Cup at Brookline was the first sign of trouble in a competition launched by wealthy British seed merchant Samuel Ryder back in 1927 to foster good relations between the people of the United States and Britain.

Tiger Woods continued his countdown to the Open today with a course record 67 at the European Club in Ireland.