Portrush feels right at home back in big time

Royal Portrush announced itself once again on golf’s world stage.

For too long this wonderful course, which hosted the British Open as far back as 1951, had remained idle in terms of professional golf tournaments but surely the effort shown by Northern Ireland’s players and the general public will ensure this will never be the case again.

Links golf is not unique to Ireland of course, but it does offer international audiences an opportunity to view something a little different from your typical run of the mill tournament. That, coupled with the fact this is the first links tournament of the year with a huge attendance and an atmosphere to match, can only be good for the promotion of the island of Ireland as a whole.