'Smart money': Reports indicate Royal Portrush will host 2025 British Open

'Smart money': Reports indicate Royal Portrush will host 2025 British Open https://ift.tt/3p9SEcY

The 150th Open Championship will be at the Old Course at St. Andrew’s in Scotland in 2022.

The next three after that have also been officially announced.

Based on multiple reports in the United Kingdom, golf fans should expect word soon that that 2025 British Open will return to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.

“I’m delighted it’s coming back to Northern Ireland and the smart money is on 2025,” North Antrim MP Ian Paisley, vice-chair of the All Parliamentary Group for Golf at Westminster told the BBC at Sandwich, England, at this week’s British Open. He added: “I would like to think that there will be an official announcement about Northern Ireland and Royal Portrush next year.”

Royal Portrush hosted the Open for the first time in 1951, but didn’t host it again until 2019, when Irishman Shane Lowry was the champion. It will come as no surprise to Lowry, who said at his winner’s press conference, “I’d be very surprised if it’s not back here in the next 10 years.”

That it will happen sooner rather than later likely will be well received.

“That’s great. That’s a lot sooner than I thought it would be there,” Rory McIlroy told Golf Channel. “That’s only six years with one of those years missed, last year, so that’s great. We’re nearly to 2022, we’re not that far away so it’s something to look forward to.”

McIlroy made an 8 on his first hole in 2019 at Portrush and went on to miss the cut.

“I’ll try to cut that first-hole score in half and go from there,” he quipped to Golf Channel.

from Golfweek https://ift.tt/3BfYsZB