Rory McIlroy implores golf chief to make big decision

Rory McIlroy has encouraged the R&A's chief executive to take The Open Championship back to Muirfield. 

Golf's oldest major has not been staged at the Scottish links since Phil Mickelson hoisted the Claret Jug in 2013. 

Back then, McIlroy endured a miserable week - carding rounds of 79 and 75 to miss the cut by four strokes. 

He told a group of reporters after the third round of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on Saturday that it "could have been the lowest point of my professional career". 

This year's Open will be played at Royal Birkdale and will return to St Andrews in 2027 but the governing body has yet to announce sites beyond the home of golf. 

It is understood Portmarnock in Dublin will stage the first Open outside of the United Kingdom in the near future. 

A return to Royal Lytham & St Annes is possible, whilst the R&A may wait until American president Donald Trump leaves office to take it back to Turnberry. 

McIlroy said it would be "wonderful" if it was taken back to Muirfield.

"I'm not privy to those conversations but Muirfield deserves to be back on the Open rota," he said. 

"I would say at Muirfield, they rectified the issues that they had. It's a wonderful golf course."

McIlroy was referring to the fact the R&A removed the course from its rota after Muirfield voting against admitting women members in 2016. 

A further vote was cast a year later, which passed overwhelmingly in favour of admitting women. 

It is understood the R&A have also been cautious about a return to Muirfield because of attendance. The 2013 Open drew about 142,000 spectators. 

At least 200,000 spectators have attended The Open since 2006. Last year's Open, held at Royal Portrush, had a record attendance of 290,000. 

McIlroy continued: "It's one of the best courses on the rota and in the UK. As well, it has to commercially make sense. 

"I think Mark Darbon [the chief executive] has been brought in to [the R&A] make the Open Championship commercially viable. 

"I would say Muirfield, that area, North Berwick, that would probably be one of the more commercially viable opens."

"With Birkdale this year, it would be very early to bring an Open back to that region in 2028.

“The Women's Open is at Lytham this year. Usually when the women's is somewhere, then the men’s seems to follow pretty soon after. 

"That could be the case."