R & A considering moving the Open to Royal Portrush with the rise of Rory McIlroy as world number one
As the Royal & Ancient chief executive Peter Dawson came out with is unprecedented praise for the current world number one Rory McIlroy, Jim McArthur, chairman of the R&A's Championship Committee also hailed McIlroy as the next best thing in the sport.
Addressing a press conference called in to explain the new set of rules for this year’s Open Championship, McArthur lauded the achievements of young McIlroy.
He said, “Rory certainly relates to the younger person, the younger golfer. I think he has certainly been a good role model for them. Obviously reaching No.1 he gets even more prominence as far as the golfing public is concerned”.
Earlier, Dawson claimed that McIlroy will take over the reins of the sport form the blistering Tiger Woods who has apparently lost his groove for the sport.
The Open Championship has undergone considerable changes as the R & A unfurled new set of rules for the second major title of the year, scheduled at Royal Lytham and St Annes.
R & A has lifted the ban over the use of cell phones on the course both by the players as well as the spectators and there will be designated areas where calls can be made and received.
Dawson also shed some light over the long standing demand of the Northern Irish golfers to bring the Open back to Royal Portrush.
He said, "I and some of the people in the Championship department have been over having a look at Royal Portrush, a magnificent golf course. We're a long way from any announcement that the Open is going back to Portrush but we have had a look at it”.
With back-to-back Irish victories in the major events around the world, R & A had to reconsider its earlier stance that Open cannot be moved out of the nine Links courses.
Dawson had out rightly rejected to consider moving the Open to Portrush earlier in the year but he has now being compelled to change his stance over the issue.
Royal Portrush will be the venue for this year’s Irish Open which will be returning to the course after a lapse of 53 years.
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