Latest news with #RoyalandAncient
eNCA
16-07-2025
- Business
- eNCA
British Open could return to Trump's Turnberry
British Open organisers the Royal and Ancient (R&A) refused to rule out a return to US President Donald Trump's Turnberry course if infrastructure challenges were overcome. The Scottish course, which was bought by Trump in 2014, has not hosted the only major outside the US since 2012. In the wake of the storming of the US Capitol by Trump supporters in January 2021, the R&A said the British Open would not return to Turnberry until "the focus will be on the championship" rather than the course's proprietor. Mark Darbon, new chief executive of the R&A, straight-batted the prospect of awarding Turnberry the championship until significant upgrades are made around the course on Scotland's west coast. "We love the golf course but we've got some big logistical challenges there," Darbon told a press conference ahead of the 153rd British Open, which begins at Royal Portrush on Thursday. "You see the scale of their setup here and we've got some work to do on the road, rail and accommodation infrastructure around Turnberry. "We've explicitly not taken it out of our pool of venues but we'd need to address those logistical challenges should we return." Darbon revealed he had a meeting earlier in the year with Trump's son, Eric, but said no pressure had been put on by the British government to fast track Turnberry's return to the Open Championship rotation. "We've spoken to them specifically about Turnberry and I think they've made it clear that the decision around where we take our championship rests with us," he added on government involvement. "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 with them." A return to Turnberry is highly unlikely before Trump's second term as president comes to an end in early 2029. The next two British Opens will be held at Birkdale and St. Andrews respectively, with a venue for 2028 to be confirmed early next year. There could also be an addition to the current rota of 10 venues with the possibility the British Open could be played in the Republic of Ireland for the first time at Portmarnock, near Dublin. "Yes, we are thinking about Portmarnock," added Darbon. "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 could stage an Open Championship there in the future.
The Citizen
14-07-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Ernie Els misses Open Championship for 1st time since 1992, but 11 SA golfers to tee off
Ernie Els misses Open Championship for 1st time since 1992, but 11 SA golfers to tee off Two-time champion Ernie Els has withdrawn from this week's Open Championship at Royal Portrush, which tees off on Thursday. Golf fans will be disappointed not to see Els in action at the year's final Major. According to The Citizen, Els has one of the best records at the Open, a tournament he won in 2002 and 2012. By not playing the Open this week, the 55-year-old Els will end a run of 32 straight appearances at the tournament and 33 appearances in total. He played his first Open in 1989 at Royal Troon, and from 1992 – his next Open, where he tied for fifth at Muirfield – didn't miss an Open until now. The tournament wasn't held in 2020 due to the Covid-19-pandemic. Els has two wins, three runner-up finishes and two third-place finishes in his Open career. In total, he has nine top-five finishes. The Royal and Ancient, organisers of the Open, haven't given a reason for Els' withdrawal, and the player hasn't commented either. He played at last weekend's Dick's Open on the Champions Tour, finishing in a tie for 16th with a score of eight under par after rounds of 70, 69 and 69. In his most recent Open appearances, Els missed the cut in 2023 and withdrew with a back injury at Royal Troon last year. Oosthuizen and other SA golfers in the field This week's 150th Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland will, however, see 11 South Africans tee it up on Thursday, including former champion Louis Oosthuizen, who now plays regular golf on the LIV Tour. Oosthuizen won the Open at St Andrews in 2010. His other best finishes are a tied second in 2015 and tied third in 2021. The other South Africans in the field are Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Dean Burmester, Darren Fichardt, Thriston Lawrence, Dylan Naidoo, amateur Bryan Newman, Shaun Norris, Aldrich Potgieter, Daniel van Tonder and Justin Walters. In five appearances, Bezuidenhout's best finish is tied 49th at Royal Liverpool in 2023. Burmester's best in three showings is tied 11th at St Andrews in 2022, while Fichardt has missed six cuts in seven starts. Lawrence was in contention at Troon last year before finishing fourth (in three Open appearances), while this will be Naidoo's first Open after capturing the SA Open title earlier this year to qualify. Norris has played in five Opens before, with a best finish of tied 61st in 2018. Potgieter missed the cut in his first and only appearance, as an amateur at St Andrews in 2022. Van Tonder will make his debut, while Walters' only appearance saw him miss the cut in 2014 at Royal Liverpool. Newman will chase the silver medal, awarded to the best amateur, after the now 18-year-old qualified by winning the Africa Amateur Championship at Leopard Creek in February as a 17-year-old. The defending champion at Portrush is American Xander Schauffele.
The Citizen
14-07-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Els withdraws from the Open, but 11 South Africans to tee it up at Royal Portrush
Among the local players in the field are former champion Louis Oosthuizen and Thriston Lawrence, who finished fourth last year. Ernie Els of South Africa in action at the senior US Open Championship at Broadmoor Golf Club on June 29. Picture:Two-time champion Ernie Els has withdrawn from this week's Open Championship at Royal Portrush, which tees off on Thursday. Golf fans will be disappointed to not see Els in action at the year's final Major. Els has one of the best records at the Open, a tournament he won in 2002 and 2012. By not playing the Open this week, the 55-year-old Els will end a run of 32 straight appearances at the tournament, and 33 appearances in total. He played his first Open in 1989 at Royal Troon, and then from 1992 – his next Open when he finished in a tie for fifth at Muirfield – didn't miss an Open until now. The tournament wasn't held in 2020 due to Covid. Els has two wins, three runner-up finishes and two third-place finishes in his Open career. In total, he has nine top-five finishes. The Royal and Ancient, the organisers of the Open, haven't given a reason for Els' withdrawal and the player hasn't said anything either about not playing. He played at this last weekend's Dick's Open on the Champions Tour where he finished in a tie for 16th with a score of eight-under-par after rounds of 70, 69 and 69. In his most recent Open appearances, Els missed the cut in 2023 and had to withdraw with a back injury at Royal Troon last year. Louis Oosthuizen, winner of the Open in 2010, will tee it up at Royal Portrush from Thursday. Picture:Oosthuizen and the other SA golfers in field This week's 150th Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland will, however, see 11 South Africans tee it up on Thursday, including former champion Louis Oosthuizen, who now plays his regular golf on the LIV Tour. Oosthuizen won the Open at St Andrews in 2010. His other best finishes are a tied second (2015) and tied third (2021). The other South Africans in the field are Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Dean Burmester, Darren Fichardt, Thriston Lawrence, Dylan Naidoo, amateur Bryan Newman, Shaun Norris, Aldrich Potgieter, Daniel van Tonder and Justin Walters. In five appearances Bezuidenhout's best finish is tied 49th at Royal Liverpool in 2023, Burmester's best in three showings is tied 11th at St Andrews in 2022 while Fichardt has so far missed six cuts in seven starts. Lawrence was in contention at Troon last year before finishing fourth (in three Open appearances), while this will be Naidoo's first Open after he captured the SA Open title earlier this year to qualify. Norris has played in five Opens before with a best finish of tied 61st in 2018, while Potgieter missed the cut in his first and only appearance up to now, as an amateur at St Andrews in 2022. Van Tonder will be on debut while Walters' only appearance saw him miss the cut in 2014 at Royal Liverpool. Newman will be chasing the silver medal, awarded to the best amateur, after the now 18-year-old qualified to play this week by winning the Africa Amateur Championship at Leopard Creek in February as a 17-year-old. The defending champion at Portrush is American Xander Schauffele.
Irish Independent
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Declan Lynch: ‘By a clear majority Ireland agrees on at least one thing: Golf is good'
Jonathan Healy, sitting in for Pat Kenny on Newstalk (weekdays, 9am), managed to create a certain kind of controversy – the kind that isn't controversial. He had sought the views of the Irish people about the game of golf, which he regards as boring and elitist and an overall waste of time. A good walk spoiled. The response was almost entirely negative – not towards golf, but towards Healy's negativity. It seemed as if an entire nation was rising up in defence of its beloved sport, and it wasn't just emotional. They were citing all sorts of sensible reasons why this was a slur on the Royal and Ancient game, on Ireland itself and perhaps even on humanity in general.
Telegraph
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
‘Expectations were already high for Royal Portrush 2025 – but they've gone to another level'
I am, of course, very proud and excited that Royal Portrush is hosting the 153rd Open Championship this July. The buzz around here is electric, and for good reason. We're not just preparing for a major golf tournament; we're getting ready to share the unique magic of Northern Ireland with the world. Hosting The Open here is a monumental undertaking, having experienced it all before in 2019, but this year we are stepping it up considerably from six years ago. It goes without saying that the ground staff and greenkeepers have been working so hard for months to get everything right for July. Years of planning go into every single detail to help us achieve the week we want. We work hand-in-glove with The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews to plan everything from crowd flow and transportation to player facilities and media ops. Royal Portrush is slightly different from other venues that have hosted The Open in that our 18th green has grandstands all around it, creating a real amphitheatre environment. And the players don't use the clubhouse here – they have their own area created for them, complete with restaurants, gyms and everything they could possibly need for their week at Portrush. It's like building a small city. The hospitality pavilion at the second green and third tee is new for this year and is a huge three-tiered structure. We're expecting almost 280,000 people here over the four days of competition. What happened at the Masters with Rory McIlroy winning in such dramatic fashion means everything has just cranked up another few notches – if that was even possible. So while our greenkeeping team works tirelessly to get the course in championship condition, there's security, traffic management, catering and volunteer coordination that all needs organising. Hundreds of volunteers give up their time, and they're the lifeblood of the event. And communication is key. Keeping everyone informed, from local residents to the thousands of spectators. It's a colossal effort, a real team effort. But seeing it all come together and witnessing the world's best players take on our course, that makes it all worthwhile. And if we have an event that's anything like 2019, we'll be in for a treat. When people ask me about the must-see holes here, I find it so tough to choose, but if I had to pick a couple, the fifth hole is a firm favourite. It's a short par four, just 370 yards from the elevated tee. You're driving downhill towards the sea, and then it dog-legs slightly to the green. The second shot is a treat – to the green perched right above Whiterocks beach. The views are simply stunning. You can see right out past Dunluce Castle all the way to the Giant's Causeway. It's an iconic hole, one you often see gracing magazine covers, and during The Open it's a real risk-reward challenge for the players. Spectators love watching them go for the green from the tee. But our most notorious hole – and one you'll see the spectators gather for in a more ghoulish way – is the 16th: Calamity Corner. From the championship tee, it's a 236-yard beast. It plays slightly uphill over a great chasm between the tee and the green. There are no bunkers here but, believe me, none are needed. There's plenty of danger there as it is. These two holes really encapsulate the challenge and beauty of Royal Portrush. Visitors will discover that Royal Portrush is truly unique. It's the setting. We are on the stunning Causeway Coast here and the coastline is just beautiful. The views are incredible—you can see across to Scotland and right across Donegal. From a golf course perspective, we're fortunate to have quite a deep site. Most links courses are quite low-lying and narrow, but we have a wide site, and the land moves in different directions. No two holes run consecutively in the same direction on the Dunluce Links, and there are quite a few elevation changes, which is unique for a links course. This means plenty of opportunities for spectacular views and scenery while you play. Beyond Royal Portrush, this region is a golfing treasure trove. I love playing other courses like Royal County Down, where I trained as a club professional in the 1990s, and the new St Patrick's Links at Rosapenna. Away from golf, there's so much to do. We're spoiled for choice. Being in the pro shop, I get to hear what visitors love, and it's always the Giant's Causeway and the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. But they love the coastline too, all the way to Ballycastle because it is so stunning. You're spoilt for choice when it comes to food – Portrush Harbour is a real foodie hotspot. My favourite restaurant there is Mermaid, which serves up amazing seafood dishes, but Neptune & Prawn, a casual Asian food and drink bar, is also great, and the Harbour Bistro is also very popular. Wash that down with a drink at the Springhill Bar on Causeway Street – it hosts traditional Irish music nights, which are a big hit with both the locals and tourists. Further afield you have all the Game of Thrones filming locations, such as Ballintoy Harbour, while Rathlin Island, with its wildlife and rugged beauty, is also a must-see. If you're a true die-hard fan of the show you can also take the Game of Thrones Studio Tour in Banbridge. Visitors are absolutely spoiled for things to do and see. A week is not enough – especially if you are here in Open week and there's golf to watch too! There was a real legacy from the 148th Open when it was held here in 2019. The impact is still being felt. Shane Lowry's incredible win inspired the next generation of golfers for sure. Combined with what Rory has already achieved even before his Masters win this year, and it really encourages young people to get into the game. We do a lot of work in local schools, and it's wonderful to see so many young people inspired by The Open and the opportunity to see the best players in the world right here. Hosting The Open is a privilege, and sharing this special place with visitors is a joy. They are truly lucky to experience the beauty and magic of Royal Portrush and the Causeway Coast. Golf offers and packages For island of Ireland golf offers and packages visit our partners at: Golf Escapes, Golf Escapes – Northern Ireland, Your Golf Travel, Golfbreaks & Golfbreaks – Northern Ireland
