Ballyliffin Golf Club in Donegal believes it should be considered as a potential venue for The Open if the R&A decides to hold it outside of the UK for the first time. This comes after Portmarnock recently announced its plans to seek government support for hosting both the AIG Women’s Open and The Open. However, Ballyliffin does not want to accept this as a definite outcome.
John Farren, the general manager of Ballyliffin, expressed his thoughts on the situation, stating that there seems to be a trend of bandwagoning, with both Golf Ireland and the government supporting Portmarnock. Farren is not interested in jumping on this bandwagon, but he does believe that if The Open is to be held in the Republic of Ireland, it should not automatically go to Portmarnock, simply because they made an early move. According to Farren, Portmarnock’s early preparation and efforts towards equality do not necessarily make them the best choice for the venue.
Ballyliffin has already hosted the successful Irish Open in 2018 and is set to host the Amateur Championship next year. The club has made The R&A aware of its ambition to join The Open rota, and discussions with the organization are ongoing. Farren sees this as a slow-burner process, but he remains hopeful that Ballyliffin will have the opportunity to host The Open in the future.
Farren believes that it may take “15 or 20 years” for Portmarnock to have the necessary infrastructure to host The Open, if it ever happens at all. He questions whether Portmarnock will be ready to meet the infrastructure requirements similar to Portrush, which recently hosted The Open Championship.
In other golf news, Lucas Vacarisas of Spain won the Hopps Open de Provence on the Challenge Tour, finishing two shots ahead at 20-under. Conor Purcell finished tied 34th at seven under after a two-under 70, while Dermot McElroy finished 49th at three-under after a 72.
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