THIS IS OPEN COUNTRY
The Open Championship is the oldest and greatest of golf’s four Major Championships – the very biggest tournaments in the sport – and probably the hardest one to win, played on amazingly nuanced courses in astonishingly varied weather conditions. One might say it’s a bit of lottery, except for the fact that it requires incredible skill to even be in the hunt.
Despite this, one small Island has proved to be surprisingly successful at this great tournament in recent times, which is explored in a one-hour TV special This Is Open Country, directed by acclaimed documentary maker Ross Whitaker and co-funded by Tourism Ireland. This visually stunning piece with contributions from Open winners Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, showcases Ireland’s most stunning landscapes, foods, golf courses and sporting venues and inhabit the music, dance and fun of the place to soak up what it means to be Irish and what makes Irish people and golfers different from the rest.
While it’s neighbour England has only one winner since Tony Jacklin lifted the Claret Jug in 1969 and Scotland – home to so many of the Open’s great venues – has just two winners in that time, Ireland has provided four winners of that dear old trophy in the last 15 or so years, having taken home five Jugs since Padraig Harrington’s great win in 2007. Only the world’s biggest golfing powerhouse – the USA – can match those numbers.
Add to these triumphs that Ireland hosted its first ever Open Championship since the 1950s in 2019, and is quickly due to do so again in 2025, and it’s clear that this golfing heartland is now writing itself into Open history in a very significant way. So what are the reasons that Ireland has had success that its neighbours – and many other nations – would love to match?
Is it luck or coincidence? Is it junior golf and talent development? Is it the incredible golf courses all over the country? Is it the wild conditions and landscapes that make Irish golfers ready for anything? In This is Open Country Rory McIlroy comments: “it’s like playing golf on the Moon!”
Or is it the economic and self-esteem uplift that the island has experienced in the last 30 years? Is it a winning mindset hewn on the packed playing fields of soccer, rugby and traditional Irish sports of Hurling and GAA all over the country?
With world-class courses in some of the most spectacular locations on the planet, Ireland’s credentials are sky-high when it comes to golf. Ireland is home to over 400 golf clubs, including a third of the world’s natural links courses, and a selection of exceptional championship courses in amazing locations. Every year over 240,000 golfers from all over the world come to the island of Ireland’s greens to experience the impressive but unforgiving fairways.
The hosting of the The Open in Royal Portrush is just the start of it, as Adare Manor in County Limerick has recently been announced as the host of the 2027 Ryder Cup.
As US golfer and 2009 Open winner Stewart Cink adds in This is Open Country: “I think the golf courses in Ireland build sturdy character.”
c/o Ireland.com
