'We believe we can take an Open Championship there' - R&A closer to Portmarnock decision

Mark Darbon, CEO of The R&A speaks to the media during a press conference prior to The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on July 15, 2026 in Southport, England. (Photo by Oisin Keniry/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)

An announcement on Portmarnock staging the AIG Women’s Open and eventually, The Open, remains a moveable feast as the R&A wrestles with considerable transportation challenges in the vicinity of the north Dublin links.

After saying in April that he was cautiously optimistic about the project and that they were “hoping to bring some clarity to that by the end of this summer,” the R&A’s chief executive Mark Darbon said at Royal Birkdale that “we’re hoping to have a pretty clear view by the end of the year for sure.”

“I think we're getting pretty close,” Mr Darbon said on the feasibility study that’s being carried out into the infrastructural challenges that surround a difficult-to-access venue that remains a high priority given that the hope is to return to the nation’s capital multiple times over the coming decades.

“It's a complicated venue because of the scale of The Open Championship. So there's been a lot of great feasibility work with the golf club themselves, with the local authority, with government.

“We've undertaken a big feasibility study. That work is pretty much done. We've confirmed that we believe we can take an Open Championship there.

“What we're looking to do is build a model that opens up opportunities for the AIG Women's Open and The Open for many, many years to come. So that's the dialogue we're in right now with the Irish government, and we're optimistic that those discussions are heading in the right direction.”

When an announcement might come depends on the scale of the works required, from roads and railway access to planning permission delays and the need to co-ordinate works with ongoing infrastructure projects that Fingal County Council already has in hand.

“Time frame -- look, in the spirit of transparency, it's taken a bit longer than I think I and we thought it may, but it's complicated doing all of that feasibility work,” Mr Darbon added. “We're hoping to have a pretty clear view by the end of the year for sure.”

The idea of an Open Championship being held in Dublin is an attractive one for every Irish golfer and Shane Lowry is looking forward to hearing good news soon, even if he is exempt until he turns 60 in 2047.

“I was actually in Portmarnock last Monday, and they're not giving too much away over there,” Lowry said. “But yeah, all the rumours are obviously that you know it's going to be announced at some stage. But who knows?

“Obviously it would be amazing to have an Open Championship in Dublin. I think one of the biggest tournaments in the world coming to the place where I live would be very cool.

“And I think, to be honest, I think Portmarnock is one of the best golf courses in the world. So I think it's fit for an Open Championship.

“It would be a good Open for the R&A as well. It'll be very successful. “

While he somewhat optimistically added that “the infrastructure is all there and it's ready to go”, he added: “And I'll be able to sleep at home as well, which would be nice.”

Should the R&A, Fingal County Council and government get the transport plan sorted out soon, that may just be a commute that’s possible,”