The R&A has confirmed that The Open will be played at Royal Portrush in 2019.

The announcement marks the return of the event to Northern Ireland after an absence of almost 70 years.

Taking place from 18-21 July 2019, the Harry Colt-designed Dunluce Links course will play host to the event.

Plans to create two new holes on the Dunluce Links course ahead of the tournament were approved earlier this year, and Martin Ebert of Mackenzie & Ebert Golf Course Architects has been brought in to oversee the work.

The new seventh and eighth holes use land previously part of the club’s adjacent Valley Course, and will replace the existing holes 17 and 18 on the Dunluce Links course. This will free up land that will then be used to house the spectator village and championship infrastructure during The Open.

The green on the course’s second hole will be moved, lengthening the hole by some 40 yards. The line of the existing tenth will also be altered and the hole extended by 50 yards.

Other changes to the course include the reshaping of the green on the existing eighth hole – which will be the tenth hole during the tournament – and the addition of several new back tees.

The overall length of the course will be increased by around 200 yards, and the number of bunkers will increase by three to 62.

The work on the Dunluce Links course is set to be completed by mid-2016.