Newly crowned Masters champion Rory McIlroy will have “unfinished business” when the Open Championship returns to Royal Portrush this summer, says R&A chief executive Mark Darbon.
Northern Irishman McIlroy, who won at Augusta National earlier this month to complete career Grand Slam, missed the cut when The Open was held at the Dunluce Links for the first time in 68 years in 2019.
On Tuesday, Darbon announced that this year’s championship, which takes place from 17-20 July, will be the biggest sporting event held in Northern Ireland, with 278,000 fans expected on the Antrim coast links.
“I think he’s probably got some unfinished business here,” Darbon told BBC Sport NI of McIlroy’s chances.
“We’re looking forward to a brilliant event.”
Darbon, who was appointed R&A chief last summer, added: “We were excited enough as it was, having the Open Championship back here, but I think that [McIlroy’s Masters win] is the icing on the cake and sets us up for a fantastic summer of golf.”
This year’s Open, which will be the biggest held outside of St Andrews in Scotland, is expected to generate 213m of economic impact.
The 2019 tournament proved a memorable occasion as Ireland’s Shane Lowry won his first major title.
When asked how this summer’s Open can top 2019, Darbon said: “I think we can. You look for certain things when staging an Open Championship.
“You want a brilliant links course to test the best golfers in the world, you want passionate fans and you want a location to tell stories about this wonderful championship and Royal Portrush delivers on all those things in spades.”
Darbon also reaffirmed the R&A’s desire to take the Open outside of the United Kingdom for the first time, to Portmarnock in Dublin.
“We’re really excited about the investigative work we’re doing at Portmarnock and pleased with the support we’re receiving from local authorities and the government,” he said.
“We have a lot of work to do to bring that project to life but we’re really optimistic that it will happen.”
Darbon is also keen to return the Open to “brilliant” Turnberry on the Ayrshire coast in Scotland and says “feasibility” work is being undertaken.
The resort which has been given 200m of improvements since being bought by US president Donald Trump in 2014, last held the Championship in 2009.
Despite the facelift, Darbon says there are still “logistical and commercial challenges” around “road, rail and accommodation infrastructure” to overcome.
“In 2009 we had just over 120,000 people at Turnberry, and this summer we’re welcoming nearly 280,000 people to Royal Portrush,” he said.
“We know the golf course is brilliant so we’d love to be back there.”
