Sell-out crowds, bumper payout...now for an Irish winner
The R&A have signalled that the famous Antrim links will never again host golf’s greatest championship.
However, the reality is, it takes a lot more than four years to put together everything involved in the successful running of an enormous sporting occasion.
They are prepared to be patient and wait and that is why this week’s Irish Open is so important to the campaign. With an estimated average daily attendance of 27,000 expected, the Royal Portrush club will be under severe pressure.
The R&A have looked at Portrush more than once over the last decade and have come to the conclusion that the links would experience considerable difficulty in accommodating British Open Championship crowds. They also pointed to what they regarded as relatively modest hotel, guest house and bed and breakfast availability in the general area.
The R&A don’t do things by half measures and there is undoubtedly substance to this point of view. However, I have covered British Open Championships at courses like Troon, Turnberry, Sandwich and this year’s venue, Royal Lytham, where spectator space is also at a premium. Yet the crowds seem to find their way around with a reasonable degree of comfort.
As for the quality of the golf course, Portrush meets most — if not all the necessary criteria. By common agreement there is no more natural or more cleverly designed links in these islands. Nevertheless, it is surprising for this week’s tournament that the European Tour has decided to stick with the par of 72 given that two of the four par fives, the ninth and 10th, measure a mere 475 and 478 yards. Not alone that, but they run in the same direction and given a favourable wind many will be attacking the flags with a short iron or a wedge.
That in itself wouldn’t present any problem for the R&A. They would simply regard both holes as par fours, thereby providing an overall par of 70 which in actual fact would be very much to their liking.
Portrush will be on trial this week and so, too, will be Northern Ireland’s three major champions who have been strongly advocating its claims for both the Irish and British Opens for many years. Graeme McDowell was born little more than a drive from the first tee and Darren Clarke has made his home in the golf-mad Antrim town. Rory McIlroy shot an amazing 61 there as a 15-year-old.
Of the trio, McDowell is the one in form after his runner-up finish in the US Open a couple of weeks ago. Clarke missed that event as he rested a groin injury and has been out of action for a month. McIlroy proved a massive disappointment in missing the cut in his defence of the US title and after failing to reach the weekend in four of his last five tournaments, finds himself under unlikely pressure to make amends this week.
Pádraig Harrington has long proclaimed Portrush as one of his favourite courses in the world and it will be interesting to see if he can use that to turn in a big performance. Four sub-70 rounds in the Travellers Championship on the US PGA Tour at the weekend for a share of 11th coming on the back of finishing fourth in the US Open should have done wonders for his confidence.
With 20 other Irishmen in the field, it is reasonable to hope that much of the €2m can be kept at home. All the time, those denizens of the game at St Andrews who decide where the Open Championship is played each year will be watching closely.
