The Open Championship, the most prestigious tournament in golf, is to be played outside England and Scotland for the first time in nearly 70 years.
The Open in 2019 will be the biggest sporting event ever staged in Northern Ireland. Royal Portrush Golf Club will host the event.
Only one time has this championship been played outside of mainland Britain. This was in 1951, when the course on the north Antrim coast was the venue. Unfortunately, the sectarian violence which blighted the province for decades meant there was no return visit.
The Open is always held right in the middle of the Ulster’s marching season in the middle of July. Loyalist parades increase the tension and some clashes lead to violence.
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club which organizes The Open decided to add Royal Portrush to the list of courses which stage the annual tournament, and confirmed today it will come to Northern Ireland in four years.
