McIlroy confirms R and A are "seriously looking" at Portmarnock for The Open and hails it as "fantastic venue”

Portmarnock Golf Club

Rory McIlroy confirmed the R&A are "seriously looking" at Portmarnock as a potential venue for The Open and reckons the north Dublin links would be a "fantastic" venue.

The world No 2 is massively in favour of taking The Open to the Irish capital and making it the first staging outside the UK.

"I think there's every chance that they're seriously looking at it," he said after opening with a three-under 69 in the Horizon Irish Open at The K Club.

"So I think it would be fantastic. Honestly, I was sort of quite sceptical, well not sceptical, I was looking forward to Portrush, but just in terms of how it would do commercially. There are so many other considerations to hosting a major championship apart from just being a great golf course.

"There has to be a lot of stuff that that makes sense. But, you know, having a course that's so close to a major city, so close to a major airport, having a great golf course, I think it would be amazing.”

The R&A has made several site visits to Portmarnock, which has hosted the Walker Cup and the Amateur Championship and while infrastructure and access are major challenges, it’s a venue that ticks many boxes for them.

McIlroy is less clear about whether or not the Irish Open could be co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour now that it takes place after the FedExCup playoffs in a new September date.

"So against would be the date in the schedule because the FedEx Cup season's only going to run from January to August," he said.

"So that's the biggest obstacle I guess. But you know, there's no reason that it can't be a great standalone DP World Tour event and hopefully, with the Strategic Alliance (between the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour),  whatever comes with that over the next few years, you know, we'll see what happens."

Shane Lowry, who made seven birdies in an opening 68, believes the Irish Open can stand alone as one of the big events outside the PGA Tour sphere.

"Who knows where golf is going at the minute, what's going happen," Lowry said in reference to the PGA Tour's alliance with the Saudi PIF.

"But the way I see it is PGA Tour, the FedExCup season is from January to August, and I feel like here in Europe and the rest of the world, we should try and create big tournaments the players want to come and play and this would be a part of that.

"Whether it be co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour or not, this back-to-back with Wentworth, there's obviously going to be options there. That's how I see golf going now myself."

Lowry is a member of the Players Committee on the PGA Tour, but he admits these decisions are above his pay grade.

"That's kind of how I kind of see the way golf is going," he said. "With the bulk of the season from January to August and then maybe six or eight really great tournaments around the world outside the PGA Tour season.”