Multiple news outlets in the UK are reporting that The Open Championship will return to Northern Ireland’s Royal Portrush for the 2019 tournament.
The course is the only one not located in either the UK nor Ireland to ever host The Open, doing so in 1951.
It has gained considerable attention in recent years do to the praise paid it by such Northern Irish stars as Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell, both currently in North Carolina, US, for the US Open.
“I’m very proud of where I grew up, I’m very proud of the tradition and history there, and to bring an Open Championship back to Northern Ireland is very special,” McDowell said Thursday at the US Open. “It’s going to be a very special thing for Northern Ireland and Ireland in general. I just hope I’m exempt and playing well.”
The official future sites of The Open are as follows:
- 2014 Royal Liverpool, England
- 2015 St. Andrews, Scotland
- 2016 Royal Troon, Scotland
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