Open Championship at Dublin's Portmarnock remains firmly on the cards as feasibility work continues
"First one would say is that I've got one venue on my mind this week and it's Portrush, given it is my first Open Championship, and looking forward to delivering what we hope will be a successful event," explained Mr Darbon, who said in April that the R&A was "really optimistic" about the prospect of hosting The Open in Dublin.
"Yes, we are thinking about Portmarnock. We think it's a wonderful links golf course, and we've been really encouraged by the support that we've had in principle from the Irish government to work with us to understand whether we can stage an Open Championship there in the future.
"We're knee-deep in the feasibility work to help us answer that question fully. We expect to have a clearer picture by the back end of this year."
A crowd of 278,000 is expected at Royal Portrush this week, which is the biggest attendance at an Open held outside St Andrews.
However, whether Turnberry returns to the rota while Trump is in power remains to be seen, as a decision on the 2028 staging is still to be made.
"I think we've been extremely clear on our position, as in respect of Turnbury," Mr Darbon explained. "We love the golf course, but we've got some big logistical challenges there. You see the scale of the setup here, and we've some work to do on the road, rail, and accommodation structure around Turnberry, and we've explicitly not taken it out of our pool of venues.
"But we need to address those logistical challenges."
Mr Darbon's predecessor, Martin Slumbers, said last November that the Trump issue was central to the R&A's decision.
"We will not be taking any events there until we are comfortable that the whole dialogue will be about golf," Slumbers said.
"That situation is something we're still not comfortable with at the moment, but that could evolve in the coming years."
Asked about those remarks and whether Trump's presence in the White House was relevant to their decision, Mr Darbon said: "It's a somewhat hypothetical question in there. Unless we address the logistical challenges, it's difficult for us to go back.
"I met a couple of months ago with Eric Trump and some of the leadership from the Trump Golf organisation and from Turnberry.
"We had a really good discussion. I think they understand clearly where we're coming from. We talked through some of the challenges that we have, so we've got a good dialogue."
As for Muirfield, which hasn't hosted The Open since 2013, Mr Darbon explained that there were logistical challenges there too.
"We love the golf course at Muirfield," he said. "We're in a discussion with the venue right now.
"There's some things that we need to evolve at Muirfield — the practice ground, in particular, is a challenge for us to host the modern Open, and this is work we need to do, and if they need to facilitate some of the infrastructure that we require decent cabling to enable the scale of the production that we have these days.
"But it's good dialogue, and we'd love to be back here in the future. As I've said, no, it's not just about a number of fans, but there are some other things that go into staging the championships, practice ground and the wider infrastructure."
As for LIV Golf's reapplication for Official World Ranking points, Mr Darbon confirmed that it was being studied by the OWGR technical group, but he had not examined in detail the changes proposed by the Saudi-funded league to improve its chances of being awarded points.
"We actually had an OWGR board meeting yesterday," he said. "An application has been received. I think that's a good thing.
"There's a robust process that now exists. The bid will be assessed by the technical committee and then ultimately determined by the board.
"I think Trevor Immelman (Chairman of the OWGR) released a statement regarding that recently, and I'm sure he'll talk about that in more detail to come.
"I haven't reviewed the technical submission in any detail. That's the process that we'll go through now, so difficult (to say what's being proposed by LIV).'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
5 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Tirlán turns sod on solar farm to power largest production facility
Tirlán has commenced work on a major renewable energy project at its multi-purpose integrated dairy processing facility in Ballyragget, Co Kilkenny. The 6.5ha, 8MWp ground-mounted solar farm is being delivered in partnership with ESB's Smart Energy Services and is expected to be completed in early 2026. It will reduce the site's carbon footprint and its reliance on grid electricity. The solar farm will be a 'behind-the-meter' self-generation project, meaning all energy produced will be consumed directly at the Ballyragget facility. Once operational, it will supply about 7.6GWh of clean renewable energy annually, meeting 34% of the site's imported electricity needs. That is the equivalent of powering more than 1,700 households with electricity for a year. Tirlán chairperson John Murphy said the investment marked a "key milestone" in the company's journey to further decarbonise its operations and strengthen its energy resilience at its largest processing site. 'It builds on the success of solar installations at our Kilkenny Soup Plant and Tirlán CountryLife Castlecomer retail branch and reflects our commitment to a more sustainable energy mix. "In addition, there has been a strong uptake of 'turn-key' solar packages on-farm to help suppliers reduce both their carbon emissions and cost through our FarmGen programme," Mr Murphy said. The solar array will consist of 12,816 photovoltaic panels and 32 inverters, and is expected to reduce the carbon footprint by 2,100t of CO₂ annually — equivalent to removing 450 diesel cars from Irish roads or planting 94,000 evergreen trees. Over its 25-year lifespan, the project will avoid about 50,000t of CO₂. 'We're proud to partner with Tirlán on this landmark solar project, which demonstrates the power of collaboration in accelerating progress toward net zero,' said Ciaran Gallagher, ESB's head of Smart Energy Services. By enabling projects like this solar farm in Ballyragget to generate clean electricity, we're helping to reduce emissions and enhance energy resilience at scale. This project is a shining example of how Irish industry can lead the way in renewable energy innovation. Tirlán's chief ESG officer Lisa Koep said Tirlán was continuing to actively explore other renewable electricity options for its facilities as part of its wider Living Proof sustainability strategy and as part of its commitment to helping Ireland decarbonise. Tirlán's Ballyragget processing facility is one of the largest multi-purpose integrated dairy plants in Europe. The site employs more than 360 people, processing up to 1.2bn litres of milk, 1.3bn litres of whey and up to 200 million litres of cream annually. More than €180m has been invested during the last decade in developing and enhancing the site, which has been operational for more than 50 years.
Irish Independent
29 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
The Open: Mixed start for Rory McIlroy as Shane Lowry signs off with a 70 at Royal Portrush
live | We'll bring you updates across the week Today at 02:27 It's a massive week in Royal Portrush as the 153rd Open Championship takes place. We will bring you all the action from the course all week as Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry lead the Irish challenge. 3 minutes ago Gareth Hanna Oh it's thrills you want? How about this tee shot at the fourth snapped straight left as well? That's both drivers from Rory significantly left of the mark so far. Not a good spot, over there. 4 minutes ago Adam McKendry You Bez believe it Strong start to the round for South Africa's Christiaan Bezuidenhout as he rattles off three straight birdies at 5, 6 and 7 to move to three-under-par and one shot off the lead! Could he do something special? I was chatting to his father yesterday and he was bullish on his son's chances. I'm starting to believe him. 6 minutes ago Gareth Hanna Boring pars at the third Pitch. Putt. Putt. Rory, JT, Tommy all stay level. A bit monotony never hurt anyone after those first two. 9 minutes ago Adam McKendry Shane and Scottie The marquee morning group are finished and it's a good day for Scottie Scheffler, who almost ties the lead with a long-range putt on the 18th but sees it slide just right of the hole and instead has to settle for a par and a three-under 68, which leaves him one shot off the lead. And it is also a good day for Shane Lowry, a one-under 70 a solid day's work that has him still very much in contention after three birdies and two bogeys! The '2019 defence' off to a good start. Not so good for Collin Morikawa, though. Five bogeys, four of which came in his final 10 holes, and just one birdie means it's a +4 start for the 2021 champion. 13 minutes ago Adam McKendry Holey moley As Rory McIlroy and co. head for the par-three third, let's check in on which holes are giving the players the most grief and which are providing birdie opportunities. The toughest holes 1. 11th (+0.47) 2. 4th (+0.36) 3. 9th (+0.35) 4. 18th (+0.30) 5. 1st (+0.28) The easiest holes 1. 5th (-0.26) 2. 12th (-0.25) 3. 7th (-0.18) 4. 2nd (-0.15) 5. 6th (+0.04) 16 minutes ago Gareth Hanna Up in the group ahead The Open on Twitter / X A fast start for Viktor Hovland. He eagles the second. The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 2025 21 minutes ago Gareth Hanna The relief on his face Rory in for birdie and the crowd are up. He puffs out his cheeks and that was pure, 100% relief, not joy. I've no doubt visions of 2019 were returning in his head after that putt on 1. JT also gets his bounce back bird and Fleetwood can't get up and down from off the front so makes par. All three level after two. 21 minutes ago Adam McKendry One marquee group done The current Champion Golfer of the Year, Xander Schauffele, begins his defence of the Claret Jug with a level-par 71, which is no bad thing when you consider how up-and-down it was. Jon Rahm is off to a solid start as he cards a one-under 70 that, bar back-to-back bogeys at 10 and 11, looked very solid and very much enhances his credentials as a contender. It was a tougher day for US Open champion JJ Spaun, though. He drops three shots in his last four holes and finishes the round with a two-over 73, so he will be fighting to make the cut. 25 minutes ago Gareth Hanna The pitch is good And a birdie chance. Pitch out was the right play. Honestly, backing off that long iron could be the pivotal point of his whole week, already. 28 minutes ago Gareth Hanna The inner monologue He was ready to pull the trigger with a long iron then at the last minute steps off it and has the yardage book out. Time to just get back into play. Take a beat, as they'd say on Blue Lights. Smart play. Wedge back into the fairway. Start the day again from there, mentally. 29 minutes ago Adam McKendry A roar from 17 And it's not for Scottie Scheffler, it's for Shane Lowry who loops in a rangy putt from 22 feet for the birdie that gets him back into the red at -1! Could he potentially end the day even better with a birdie on 18? They've been hard to come by. 33 minutes ago Stop it Scottie! Forget trying to catch the leaders, Scheffler almost jumps into a share of the lead as he nearly jars his approach into the par-four 17th, pitching it about 20 feet short and letting it release up to the hole and it shaves the left edge on its way past before stopping a foot beyond the pin! That's going to be the easiest of tap-in birdies and the World No.1 is ominously on -3 with one hole to play. 33 minutes ago Gareth Hanna Time for calm He's bashed it straight left off the second, into the gallery. Now it's a par five so he should be able to make this OK. But he needs to settle after that missed three-footer. You worry about the impact of these things when it's Rory. Fleetwood and JT are good. 35 minutes ago Adam McKendry Danish delight We already have Jacob Skov Olesen in a share of the lead, Nicolai Hojgaard in the clubhouse two back at -2 and now there's another Dane on the charge as John Axelsen birdies 12 and 13 to move to -2, two off the top. The 27-year-old plays primarily on the HotelPlanner Tour (formerly known as the Challenge Tour) and only qualified through Final Qualifying at Royal Cinque Ports - he's certainly making the most of that invitation. 41 minutes ago Gareth Hanna 'Oh Rory' Rory loops his long putt round the slope and in to three feet but then…. MISSED IT. Leaves himself further away for bogey but at least gets that. Shockwave for a nervous crowd. Fleetwood two putts for par off back edge but, JT can't tease his own putt from back there down the slope as leaves it 20 foot short, missing the hill altogether. Bogey for Thomas. (To anyone who saw my brief trigger happy post that he had holed it, I am sorry. Fully scudded him. Fully.) 42 minutes ago Adam McKendry Scheffler on the move He's hit an absolute stunner into Calamity, flirting with the chasm but bouncing it up onto the green and up to three feet - and he drains the putt! That's the World No.1 up to -2 and just two back, with the birdie-able par-four 17th coming up! Unfortunately Sergio Garcia is going the other way as he bogeys the par-four eighth and is back to -2 as well, having been at -3. 51 minutes ago Gareth Hanna And a roar! Very impressive from McIlroy. We've barely seen anyone make the green from that left rough but he manages to squeeze it on the front edge. A long two-putt and we're away. Gareth Hanna on Twitter / X And everyone in Portrush breathes a collective sigh of relief for Rory McIlroy Gareth Hanna (@GarethHanna11) July 17, 2025 55 minutes ago Gareth Hanna Audible relief There was a physical and collective sigh as Rory's tee shot lands IN BOUNDS. It's in the rough on the left and we know how thick that is. So not ideal. But it's not a reload. So sure look. We move. Justin Thomas and Tommy Fleetwood safely on the short stuff. Everyone in Portrush is glad that's over. 59 minutes ago Gareth Hanna Here's Rory The first cheer for the man himself as the supporters round a packed first tee catch a glimpse of him on his way. This shot is six years in the making. Can he exorcise the ghosts of 2019? Rory McIlroy reacts to 2019 nightmare at Royal Portrush during Open press conference Rory McIlroy admits that after the disappointment of missing the cut at The Open at Royal Portrush in 2019 he is going to take a brand new approach to this year's tournament.
Irish Times
35 minutes ago
- Irish Times
‘We love you Shane': Lowry's swing breaks the Open silence as tens of thousands descend on Royal Portrush
At the Open Championship on Thursday morning, there is silence. The crowd holds its breath as Shane Lowry approaches the first tee. He takes one practice swing, then another, then prepares to take his shot. Thwack! The ball whooshes past and spectators turn as one following its flight. Their delight explodes into sound: clapping, cheering, shouting. 'Come on Shane! We love you Shane!' READ MORE Six years ago, this course was the scene of the Co Offaly man's lone Major triumph, a fairytale result which saw an Irishman lift the claret jug on the tournament's first return to Ireland since 1951. Now, he strides on past, looking straight ahead to where the course unfolds before him, his head firmly in the game. The Open has begun. Spectators under umbrellas on the first day of the Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club on Thursday. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho From dawn on Thursday, the crowds started filing into the course at Royal Portrush Golf Club, on the north Co Antrim coast. Another former Open champion, Dubliner Pádraig Harrington, had the honour of hitting the first ball of the tournament, at 6.30am. After that, the numbers watching on kept growing, with a total of 50,000 people expected on Thursday and about 270,000 in total over the four days, making it the largest sporting event on the island of Ireland. Ciarán McGuinness (13), from Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, with his brother Michael (11) and their mother, Gráinne As 13-year-old Ciarán McGuinness, from Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, put it: 'We were at the Irish Open a few years ago, but that's like watching a Gaelic club match compared to this. This is like the All-Ireland final in Croke Park.' No wonder then, that this is 'a dream come true' for the chief executive of Tourism Northern Ireland, John McGrillen. 'It's one of the limited opportunities we have on the island of Ireland to host a really world-class annual event.' The estimate is that it will generate more than £200 million (€231 million) for Northern Ireland's economy, between direct economic benefit and marketing impact – and this does not include the longer-term consequences, from the increase in golf tourism – up by almost 66 per since 2019 – to the investment which has seen new, luxury hotels open in Portrush. No wonder, too, that the North's First Minister, Michelle O'Neill, and Deputy First Minister, Emma Little-Pengelly, took the opportunity to visit on Thursday, speaking at a business breakfast before touring the course. Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly and Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill at Royal Portrush. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire 'It showcases all that's good about us,' Ms O'Neill said. 'I think it very much sends a message that we're open for business, and I think when people tune in and see this beautiful part of the world, they'll know that the island is amazing, they should want to come here, and we will very much be promoting that message.' [ Open 2025: The five Irish players who will tee it up at Royal Portrush Opens in new window ] In Nashville, Tennessee, that message has been heard loud and clear. The Holland family are at the Open on what is their first visit to Ireland. 'We live on a gated golf course at home, and our street name is Portrush, named after Royal Portrush, so that was another reason we decided, when we were talking about a family trip for the summer, it felt fitting that we go to Portrush,' says mother Andrea. The Holland family, Andrea, Adam, Austin and Aidan, from Nashville, Tennessee The new direct flight from Nashville to Dublin was also a bonus, she explains. All big fans of Rory McIlroy, the 2014 Open winner, the Hollands plan to travel back to the airport via his hometown of Holywood, Co Down. 'It's nice here,' says Andrea's son Aidan. 'The food's good, the weather – it's like 100 degrees Fahrenheit back home, so this feels perfect, and it's all very pretty, with all the hills. And being on the coast is beautiful,' adds Andrea. Despite the torrential rain which erupted at midday, out on the course at Royal Portrush it feels like a world apart, not least from the tensions which often grab the headlines in Northern Ireland in the summer. [ The Open timings 'adjusted' to accommodate Portrush Sons of Ulster event Opens in new window ] Even within the world of sport, this week there was sectarian chanting by Linfield fans at a Champions League qualifying match against Shelbourne FC at Windsor Park, and in Comber, Co Down, a cross-community sports camp was called off after some local residents expressed concerns about the participation of children from a GAA club. While there are flags here too, fluttering from the top of stand that rings the 18th green, they represent countries from all over the world; here, the Irish Tricolour, the Scottish Saltire and the English cross of St George fly side by side. Seamus McQuillan and his son Stephen, from Co Monaghan 'Every flag should be respected and honoured, and when you come to golf, that's always the case,' says Naoimh Quigg, a former captain of the Irish women's golf team and lady captain at Royal Portrush. 'There's no division in golf.' 'When you see a mural of an Offaly man on a wall in Portrush, it says a lot about where things have gone in the last number of years, so I think it's great to see,' says Stephen McQuillan from Co Monaghan, who is here to watch the tournament with his father, Seamus. Both are big Lowry fans and remember the significance of his victory in 2019. 'The reception he got when he won it, it was for all of Ireland, it wasn't just for North or South,' he adds. The hope on the course this time is for another Irish winner. 'We're like everyone,' says McQuillan. 'You want to see McIlroy do it.'
