The Irish Open is expected to be held at Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort from 24-27 September just three weeks after the NI Open at the same venue.
This year’s Irish Open was scheduled for Mount Juliet in Kilkenny in May but fell victim to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Irish government’s Covid-19 restrictions mean the event now looks set to be played in Northern Ireland.
The venue would enable competitors to travel from the US Open to play at Galgorm without having to quarantine.
This year’s second major takes place at Winged Foot in New York the week prior to the likely new Irish Open date.
Around 40 European Tour players will play in the US Open and current Irish government requirements mean all visitors from the US must restrict their movements for 14 days after arriving in the country.
Rory McIlroy has previously suggested that he is unlikely to travel home for this year’s Irish Open.
However, tournament organisers will be optimistic that other Irish major winners Graeme McDowell and Shane Lowry do return for their national open.
In December, McDowell was announced as the Irish Open’s tournament host for 2020 and 2021.
McIlroy fulfilled that role for a number of years while Paul McGinley occupied the position at Lahinch in 2019.
Galgorm was scheduled to host its second World Invitational men’s and women’s professional event in August but after that was called off because of Covid-19, it was announced that the European Challenge Tour’s NI Open would be played at the Ballymena venue in early September.
The expected announcement that the Irish Open will be played at Galgorm will means an extraordinary month for the Ballymena club, which was opened in 1997.
The second-tier NI Open was played at Galgorm for several years up until 2018.
Article courtesy of BBC Sport
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