'I think it would be incredibly special': Harrington welcomes R&A's Portmarnock update 

Shane Lowry and Padraig Harrington of Ireland during a practice round ahead of The 154th Open Championship. Pic: Peter Byrne/PA Wire.

Padraig Harrington welcomed the R&A’s positivity to bringing The Open Championship to Portmarnock as the governing body’s CEO said his organisation was “getting pretty close” to settling on a date to stage the oldest major outside of the UK for the first time in its storied history.

Two-time champion Harrington is in the field for this week’s 154th Open at Royal Birkdale, which gets underway on Thursday morning, and where R&A boss Mark Darbon confirmed the Dublin links had been passed fit to stage one of the biggest events in golf.