Royal Troon set to host 2023 Golf Open Championship
Royal Troon will host the 152nd Open Championship in 2023, extending Muirfield and Turnberry's wait to host golf 's oldest major.
A century after staging The Open for the first time, Troon will welcome the world's top players for the 10th occasion, just seven years after Henrik Stenson lifted the Claret Jug followinganepicduelwithPhil Mickelson.
R&AchiefexecutiveMartin
Slumbers said: "The 100th anniversary at Royal Troon is important and it's a great course.
"It throws up some very exciting finishes, it has terrific infrastructureandwithithosting the AIG Women's Open in August it's nice to keep some momentum going. It ticks a lot of boxes."
Slumbersadmittedthatthe size of the crowds which each of the 10 courses on the Open rota can accommodate has become an increasingly important factor. That is bad news for the likes of Muirfield and Turnberry, with Muirfield attracting 142,306 spectators in 2013 and Turnberry's remote locationtraditionallyresulting in even lower figures.
"We want The Open to be one of the world's greatest sporting events," Slumbers added. "Big-time sport needs big-time crowds.
"The previous record at (this year's venue) Royal St George's was 183,000 and we will exceed 200,000 in July with Friday, Saturday and Sunday already sold-out and Thursday very close.
"There is no doubt that we have great aspirations for the game. We need to invest more and more. We wish to grow the Women'sOpen.Thisisthefirst yearweareincompletecontrol of it and I'm excited about that, but that takes money."
Muirfield, which is owned and run by the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, was removed from the Open rota after a vote to admit women members narrowly failedtoachievethetwo-thirds majorityrequiredinMay2016.
It was restored in March 2017 when a second ballot saw members vote to admit women by 498 votes to 123. Twelve womenarenowunderstoodto be members.
"What we're spending a lot of our time on is how do we get 200,000 people around Muirfield?" Slumbers added. "How do we get Muirfield to be Edinburgh's Open?"
St Andrews has already been confirmed to host the 2025 Open and with the R&A unlikely to stage the event in Scotland for three years running, Royal Portrush or one of the English courses would be favourite for 2024.