A golf club in Irvine has been selected as one of four courses across Great Britain and Ireland to be a new venue staging final qualifying for the British Open.

Dundonald Links along with Burnham & Berrow, Royal Cinque Ports and West Lancashire will host qualifying events starting in 2023 until 2026 when tour players, club professionals and elite amateurs compete for places in golf’s original championship.

Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, Executive Director – Championships at The R&A, said: “We have selected four renowned venues to host Final Qualifying from 2023 and each of them has an outstanding reputation for hosting championships and international matches.

“We look forward to working with them to stage a series of exciting events in which golfers will compete for a sought-after place in The Open.”

Dundonald Links has already hosted some major tour events in recent years, including the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open in 2017 - where Rafael Cabrera-Bello emerged victorious.

It also held the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open from 2015 to 2017. In doing so, it became the first venue to host the men’s and women’s Scottish Opens in the same year.

The women’s Scottish Open is also due to return to the club later this year, from July 28 to July 31.

Ian Ferguson, General Manager at Dundonald Links said “We are absolutely thrilled that Dundonald Links has been chosen as a venue for Final Qualifying for The Open, alongside three other fantastic golf courses.

“Since our development, the team have worked incredibly hard to ensure we are delivering an exceptional experience for all those that come to visit, and this is testament to that work.

“The history associated with The Open is wonderful, and to be able to play a very small part of that is a huge honour”.