Irish Open Finally Confirmed For Portrush; Will Today's Masters Be Able To Handle Three Links In Four Weeks?

Long discussed and mercifully now a reality, the Irish Open will be played at magnificent Royal Portrush this year in what the golf world can only hope is the audition it needs to land an Open.

Meanwhile, Alistair Tait says we better soak it up, because the European Tour is generally only going to the courses money dictates they play.

When you think of Irish golf, you dream of Ballybunion, Waterville, Portmarnock, Royal County Down and, of course, Royal Portrush. Yet recent Irish Opens have been held on courses that are pretty much American in nature. The Jack Nicklaus-designed Mount Juliet staged the event in the 1990s. The parkland layouts of Druids Glen, Fota Island, Carton House and Killarney have all staged the tournament in recent years. All good courses, true, but surely the Irish Open has to be played on a links, no?

Money is the reason, because it’s just good business sense for the Euro Tour to pull in a course willing to stump up the cash to stage the tournament. Unfortunately, that’s the driving force behind the choice of many tour venues. Why do you think the past three European Ryder Cups have been held at Celtic Manor, The K Club and The Belfry, instead of on any number of classics we have in these isles?

So let’s look forward to a classic tournament on a classic course. It doesn’t happen often enough.