“I think it would be fantastic” - Rory McIlroy says the R&A 'seriously looking' at hosting The Open in Ireland

Rory McIlroy is currently playing in the 2023 Irish Open at the K Club - Ryder Course in Ireland. He shot an opening round of 3 under 69. He stands on the T23 rank on the leaderboard and is four strokes behind the table topper Shubhankar Sharma.

After completing his first-round play, the Northern Irish golfer spoke to the media and revealed that R&A was "seriously looking" at hosting The Open Championship in Ireland in the near future. As quoted by BBC, he said:

"I think they are seriously looking at it. I think it would be fantastic."

Rory McIlroy added that he hopes that the Royal Portrush Golf Club in County Antrim could host the oldest major. But, he was concerned that the golf club might not do well commercially.

"I was looking forward to Portrush but (concerned) in terms of how it would do commercially; there's so many other considerations to hosting a major championship apart from it being a great golf course," McIlroy said.

He also emphasized that many of the amenities nearby would make up to be a vital factor for hosting The Open Championship.

"There has to be a lot of stuff that makes sense, but having a course that's so close to a major city, so close to a major airport, having a great golf course, I think it would be amazing," McIlroy concluded.

It is noteworthy that the Portmarnock Golf Club is slated to host the 121st edition of the Women's Amateur Championship in 2024. The venue became eligible to host R&A events soon after they allowed women to get membership in 2021. Last year, nine women were inducted as full members of the golf club.

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"He's special, he really is" - Rory McIlroy backs Ludvig Aberg's Ryder Cup selection

Later this month, the Northern Irish golfer will be seen at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, representing the European team in the 44th Ryder Cup. He will share the locker room with newly-turned-pro Ludvig Aberg and many others.

Before the 2023 Irish Open, Rory McIlroy spoke in the pre-tournament press conference and shared his take on Aberg's selection. He emphasized that the latter has immense potential and is a brilliant ball stroker.

He highlighted that Luke Donald would have picked Ludvig Aberg anyway, but the Swedish golfer made it easier after winning the European Masters.

"He's special, he really is. He's an unbelievable ball striker. He's proved to a lot of people he’s obviously worthy of a pick. I honestly think Luke was gonna pick him regardless, but he's obviously made his job easier when he won on Sunday," McIlroy said.

The European Ryder Cup team is a mix of experienced and rookie players. However, many veteran golfers like Padraig Harrington have praised it to be a strong side.

The 44th edition of the prestigious biennial event kicks off on September 29 in Rome.