Open champion Padraig Harrington wants to see the Irish Open staged in
Northern Ireland.
"If I was running the event, it would be up north, definitely,"
the Dubliner said. "There is a great golfing public up there and it
would a tremendous event.
"Royal Portrush would be an ideal venue, but there are plenty of others.
"
Harrington begins his defence of the Irish Open title at Adare Manor today
and plays with Graeme McDowell, the Ulsterman who got the recent run of
Irish winners on the European Tour going with his success in Korea in March.
McDowell said he would love to see the Irish Open played at his home course
of Royal Portrush.
"I think it really would be massive, and what's been going on
politically it would really signal good things with relationships and it
would be great to see the Tour up there," he said.
"If it were to go up to Portrush it would be pretty special for me but
I would take it anywhere, County Down, whatever, that would be nice.
"Rory McIlroy, who is making his first appearance as a professional in
Ireland this week, said he could see problems taking an event as large as
the Irish Open north of the border.
"There are some terrific courses, obviously," he said. "But
at Royal County Down, for example, if you don't have spectators on the
fairways it can be difficult for people to see what is going on.
"The new course at Loch Erne would be better from that point of view,
but then it isn't close to any airports to that would be a problem too."
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