Royal Portrush... Irish Open... 2013?

[Photo: the magnificent 5th. A par four that doglegs right, and out to the sea]

The flurry of expectation that Northern Ireland's Royal Portrush Golf Club must hold the British Open, rose to fever pitch after Darren Clarke's July win.

Everyone went a bit mad on the idea, as if it was a done deal, but it's about baby steps. The R&A aren't about to rush in without checking the infrastructure required to accommodate crowds upwards of 40,000 a day. Portrush is a town of less than 7,000, after all, and there are only three chippers.

The British Open is held exclusively at 9 golf courses, and I'm sure there will be some pressure to keep it that way as the income for each golf club and its local economy must be enormous. But a change would be good, and the presence of so many golfers from this island at the top of leaderboards around the world, should be enough to entice a mood change in the stuffy world of the R&A. That and the fact that GMac and Darren have agreed to act in an ambassadorial role for Royal Portrush, which will celebrate its 125th anniversary in 2013.

And baby steps are exactly what are being taken... the publication of the Stormont Executive's programme for Government, pledges - among other things - to host a major golf tournament in Northern Ireland.

For the official Executive document (a PDF), click here and do a keyword search on 'golf'

This would seem to imply that the Irish Open may be held in Royal Portrush as early as 2013. It would be a showcase event to demonstrate the capacity of the town and the country to host something as big as the British Open. And if things don't go quite according to plan (that one way system on the edge of town drives me nuts), there will be the perfect excuse to change things, build new roads, or whatever is seen to be lacking.

Build it and they will come, etc. etc.

1951 is a long time ago, but let's hope the Open comes back to Northern Ireland soon.

Bitterly Disappointed at Open

You have to wonder if Tom Watson will spend the next few years pondering at the British Open that got away. The 59 year old made everyone else look pedestrian. Everyone was enthralled by his heroics and brilliant play, and we were willing him on to win with every stride he took. In his final round the putts started to come up short and he will relive his weak par putt on 18, time and again. True, he was unlucky with his approach that ended off the back but even so we hoped for a blazing finish. (I imagine Westwood will give himself a good talking to, too)

I was interested by the coverage of Stewart Cink. The BBC seemed to ignore him for long stretches, but once he was playing his way into contention on the third day, and with that putting stroke, he was always going to be a threat. He should have been given the coverage he deserved. Rarely can a man have gone into a play-off with 90% of the audience wanting the other golfer to win - but that's how it was today. No one wanted Tom to lose, and as his poor performance sank lower and lower, the crowd's enthusiasm sank with it. Cink is a deserved winner, but one feels that Turnberry will be remembered for Tom Watson, in the same way that Carnoustie in 1999 will be remembered for Jean van der Velde. It's not about who won it, but how the runner-up lost it.

And as a final note on four fantastic viewing days at the Open, could someone please give Gary Lineker the damn good thrashing he deserves. And if that female commentator, Maureen, happens to get in the way, please pay her the same compliment. They irritated the hell out of me, to the point that I muted them at every turn.

A brilliant Open, but a damp finish.

Ryder Cup venues

Celtic Manor hosts the 2012 Ryder Cup, Gleneagles hosts it in 2014 and Germany are favourites for 2018. Germany aside, how is it possible that no Ryder Cup has been held on a links course? Simple: money. The K Club pumped in ten years' worth of money hosting the European Open, in order to be top of the list to host the competition when it came to Ireland in 2006. The full page review in the Irish Times (20/6/06), by American golf writer Bruce Selcraig, was scathing and dismissive of the course. As a venue it's very impressive, but as a course the writer compared its Disney World charm with the Rembrandts and Cezannes we have elsewhere. It's a fair point.

But, at the end of the day, every competitor is playing the same venue, so it's going to be exciting whether it's played over a links or one giant field. It's one of the reasons I don't understand why the professionals complain about a course; the pin positions at this year's British Open at Turnberry have resulted in a number of compaints by the pros, claiming they are unfair. But they're unfair for everyone, so use your head and play course management. Maybe that's why Tom Watson is leading after three rounds.

Back to the Ryder Cup. Wales in 2012 is a concern for many in the world of golf as there seem to be all sorts of problems at Celtic Manor - from worrying if the course is going to be ready/playable on time, to worrying if players will fall asleep mid-round due to the course's dullness. The same may be true of Gleneagles in 2014. The Ryder Cup won't even be played over the 'first' and premier course (King's), but over the PGA Centenary Course, which is generally acknowledged as being the weakest of the club's three courses. I played King's in 2007, paying £130 for the privilege, and I was disappointed - as were my playing partners, and when it started to rain on the back 9, there was little hesitation in walking in.

Money is the big driver in the Ryder Cup. The same can be said of any sport - look at the Olympics in China, a country that is allowed to get away with human rights abuses at every turn because of its size and global influence - but surely when you have two sides competing against each other, the 'home' nation would choose a venue that would give it the best advantage. But money is money and it is used to influence everything. Smurfit has the financial clout to get his own way, while courses like Ballybunion and The European can only offer the brilliance that comes from an exceptional links course... and not the money to entice the sponsors, the golf unions, tourist bodies and all the other hangers-on.

This is a shame because watching a Ryder Cup played over a true links would be a fascinating spectacle. With Tiger Woods missing The Open cut, and Tom Watson trying his best to make today's professionals look like spoilt children, it would certainly throw up a few interesting Captain's Picks for the US captain.