R&A Touts 2019's "Selection of the World's Finest Courses" As Portmarnock Decision Is Questioned

The R&A has lined up a strong cast of courses for its 2019 championship season, including Royal Portrush for The Open and Portmarnock for The Amateur.

Also on the list: The Seniors Amateur Championship at North Berwick, The Boys Home Internationals at Ashburnham, The Boys Amateur Championship at Saunton East and West and The Walker Cup at Royal Liverpool.

An unbylined Belfast Telegraph story reports on the R&A's choice of Portmarnock, a club still resisting admitting women as members, coming under strong criticism from Rory McIlroy, and contradicting the R&A's stance on Muirfield.

There has been no official confirmation that the same rule applies to the Amateur Championship, but in a statement the R&A implied this was not the reason for the move to take the event to Portmarnock for the first time since 1949.

In a statement to the Press Association, the R&A said: " The invitation to Portmarnock pre-dated the Championship Committee's decision not to take The Open to golf courses at single-gender clubs and it was agreed by the Championship Committee at the time that all existing agreements concerning The R&A's amateur events would be honoured."