PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — The British Open will be held outside England and Scotland for the first time in more than 60 years when it returns to Northern Ireland's Royal Portrush in 2019, tournament organisers the Royal & Ancient (R&A) said on Tuesday.
The British Open championship was last held at the Northern Irish links course in 1951, the only other time the major championship was held anywhere but England and Scotland, and will be held there twice again over the following two decades.
The British Open will be latest in a series of high profile events to visit Northern Ireland, which was beset by three decades of violence that claimed 3,600 lives before a peace deal largely ended the bloodshed 17 years ago.