- Irish Open (golf)
-
Irish Open Tournament information Location Killarney, County Kerry,
IrelandEstablished 1927 Course(s) Killarney Golf & Fishing Club Par 71 Length 7,161 yards (6,548 m) Tour(s) European Tour Format Stroke play Prize fund €1,500,000 in 2011 Month played July/August Tournament record score Aggregate 266 Colin Montgomerie (2001)
266 Ross Fisher (2010)To par -21 Christy O'Connor Jnr (1975)
-21 Bernhard Langer (1984)Current champion Simon Dyson The Irish Open is a professional golf tournament on the European Tour, currently played at the end of July or early August each year. The event has been played in many locations on the island; its current home is the Killarney Golf & Fishing Club in County Kerry in southwestern Ireland. The Irish Open was first played in 1927 and continued until 1950, when the tournament experienced financial problems. Except for a single event, held in 1953, there was a 25-year hiatus until the Irish Open returned in 1975.
The Irish Open was formerly played the week prior to the European Tour's "home tournament," the BMW PGA Championship. For 2010, the tournament was moved to July 29 – August 1. The event's 2005 rating in the Official World Golf Rankings system was high enough for the winner to qualify for the WGC-NEC Invitational. As of 2011, it is the only European Tour event played in Ireland. The European Open, held at the K Club in Straffan for thirteen years (1995–2007), moved to its new home near London in 2008.
Contents
Recent sponsorship
Following the departure of Nissan as title sponsor in 2006, Adare Golf Club, part of the Adare Manor Hotel and Golf Resort in County Limerick, had planned to host the tournament for three years, from 2007 to 2009. After two years, it was announced in January 2009 that they could no longer sustain the losses incurred by hosting the event for a third year. In early March, the European Tour confirmed the national championship would return to County Louth Golf Club, Baltray, which had last hosted in 2004, with a new sponsor, 3 Mobile.[1]
Under 3 Mobile, the purse was increased to €3 million. The event moved to Killarney in 2010, but the company elected not to continue past 2010, which again left the Irish Open sponsorless and cancellation was probable. Fáilte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority of the Republic of Ireland, agreed to sponsor in 2011, but with a drastically reduced purse, cut in half to €1.5 miilion.[2]
Winners
Year Winner Venue County Score Winner's
share (€)[3][4]Irish Open presented by Discover Ireland 2011 Simon Dyson Killarney Kerry 269 (−15) 250,000 The 3 Irish Open 2010 Ross Fisher Killarney Kerry 266 (−18) 500,000 2009 Shane Lowry (a)* County Louth Louth 271 (−17) PO 500,000* Irish Open 2008 Richard Finch Adare Limerick 278 (−10) 416,600 2007 Pádraig Harrington Adare Limerick 283 (−5)PO 416,600 Nissan Irish Open 2006 Thomas Bjørn Carton House Kildare 283 (−5) 366,660 2005 Stephen Dodd Carton House Kildare 279 (−9)PO 333,330 2004 Brett Rumford County Louth Louth 274 (−14) 316,660 2003 Michael Campbell Portmarnock Fingal 277 (−11)PO 300,000 Murphy's Irish Open 2002 Søren Hansen Fota Island Cork 270 (−14)PO 266,600 2001 Colin Montgomerie Fota Island Cork 266 (−18) 266,600 2000 Patrik Sjöland Ballybunion Kerry 270 (−14) 267,319 1999 Sergio García Druids Glen Wicklow 268 (−16) 233,320 1998 David Carter Druids Glen Wicklow 278 (−6)PO 223,988 1997 Colin Montgomerie Druids Glen Wicklow 269 (−15) 159,090 1996 Colin Montgomerie Druids Glen Wicklow 279 (−5) 178,571 1995 Sam Torrance Mount Juliet Kilkenny 277 (−11)PO 155,550 1994 Bernhard Langer Mount Juliet Kilkenny 275 (−13) 138,271 Carroll's Irish Open 1993 Nick Faldo Mount Juliet Kilkenny 276 (−12)PO 135,282 1992 Nick Faldo Killarney Kerry 274 (−14)PO 106,784 1991 Nick Faldo Killarney Kerry 283 (−5) 85,344 1990 José María Olazábal Portmarnock Fingal 282 (−6) 81,036 1989 Ian Woosnam Portmarnock Fingal 278 (−10)PO 61,296 1988 Ian Woosnam Portmarnock Fingal 278 (−10) 54,166 1987 Bernhard Langer Portmarnock Fingal 269 (−19) 50,174 1986 Seve Ballesteros Portmarnock Fingal 285 (−3) 44,380 1985 Seve Ballesteros Royal Dublin 278 (−10)PO 28,000 1984 Bernhard Langer Royal Dublin 267 (−21) 25,662 1983 Seve Ballesteros Royal Dublin 271 (−17) 25,662 1982 John O'Leary Portmarnock Fingal 287 (−1) 18,742 1981 Sam Torrance Portmarnock Fingal 276 (−12) 18,659 1980 Mark James Portmarnock Fingal 284 (−4) 16,730 1979 Mark James Portmarnock Fingal 282 (−6) 14,000 1978 Ken Brown Portmarnock Fingal 281 (−7) 14,000 1977 Hubert Green Portmarnock Fingal 283 (−5) 11,200 1976 Ben Crenshaw Portmarnock Fingal 284 (−4) 9,800 1975 Christy O'Connor Jnr Woodbrook Wicklow 275 (−21) 7,000 Pre-revival of Irish Open name, and European Tour sanctioning
Year Winner Venue Carroll's International
(Irish Open not played between 1963 and 1974)1974 Bernard Gallacher Woodbrook 1973 Paddy McGuirk Woodbrook 1972 Christy O'Connor Snr Woodbrook 1971 Neil Coles Woodbrook 1970 Brian Huggett Woodbrook 1969 Ronnie Shade Woodbrook 1968 Jimmy Martin Woodbrook 1967 Christy O'Connor Snr Woodbrook 1966 Christy O'Connor Snr Royal Dublin 1965 Neil Coles Cork Golf Club, Little Island 1964 Christy O'Connor Snr Woodbrook 1963 Bernard Hunt Woodbrook Irish Open 1954–62 No tournament 1953 Eric Brown Belvoir Park 1951–52 No tournament 1950 Ossie Pickworth Royal Dublin 1949 Harry Bradshaw Belvoir Park 1948 Dai Rees Portmarnock 1947 Harry Bradshaw Royal Portrush 1946 Fred Daly Portmarnock 1940–45 No tournament due to World War II 1939 Arthur Lees Royal County Down 1938 Bobby Locke Portmarnock 1937 Bert Gadd Royal Portrush 1936 Reg Whitcombe Royal Dublin 1935 Ernest Whitcombe Royal County Down 1934 Syd Easterbrook Portmarnock 1933 Bob Kenyon Malone 1932 Alf Padgham Cork 1931 Bob Kenyon Royal Dublin 1930 Charles Whitcombe Royal Portrush 1929 Abe Mitchell Portmarnock 1928 Ernest Whitcombe Royal County Down 1927 George Duncan Portmarnock *(a) indicates an amateur golfer, prize money awarded to top professional
Multiple winners
Rank Name # Wins Last Win 1 Christy O'Connor Snr 4 1972 2 Colin Montgomerie 3 2001 Bernhard Langer 3 1994 Nick Faldo 3 1993 Seve Ballesteros 3 1986 6 Sam Torrance 2 1995 Ian Woosnam 2 1989 Mark James 2 1980 Neil Coles 2 1971 Harry Bradshaw 2 1949 Ernest Whitcombe 2 1935 Bob Kenyon 2 1931 References
- ^ "Irish Open prize money increased". BBC Sport. 4 March 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/golf/7924684.stm. Retrieved 2009-03-06.
- ^ Irish Times.com – "Purse is down but Rory will be there" – 2011-06-29
- ^ European Tour.com – player results – accessed 2011-07-28
- ^ Irish golf desk.com – accessed 2011-07-28
See also
- Irish Seniors Open
- Ladies Irish Open
References
- ^ "Irish Open prize money increased". BBC Sport. 4 March 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/golf/7924684.stm. Retrieved 2009-03-06.
- ^ Irish Times.com – "Purse is down but Rory will be there" – 2011-06-29
- ^ European Tour.com – player results – accessed 2011-07-28
- ^ Irish golf desk.com – accessed 2011-07-28
External links
Categories:- European Tour events
- Golf tournaments in the Republic of Ireland
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.