Irish Open
The Irish Open is one of the best attended events on the European Tour schedule, with big galleries recorded during the week when this 72-hole stroke play professional contest takes place. It’s been held on a variety of dates, as early as mid-May and as late as September, but spectators flock to see the top players no matter when the championship is played during the season.
Starting in 2012 at Royal Portrush in County Antrim, the winner has been presented with a Waterford Crystal trophy which was commissioned by the European Tour, marking the first time the event had been held in Northern Ireland since it was played at Belvoir Park in Belfast nearly sixty years previously. The distinctive trophy features a unique design of flat and diamond cutting, incorporating a beautifully crafted crystal sphere.
The competition began back in 1927 at Portmarnock, when George Duncan from Scotland edged out Henry Cotton by one stroke to claim the gold medal and the £150 first prize. The following eleven editions before the intervention of World War II were then dominated by English players, the only non-English winner being South African Bobbly Locke at Portmarnock in 1938.
Interestingly, four of those other ten tournaments were won by one of the Whitcombe brothers from Somerset: Ernest triumphed twice (by four shots in 1928 then after a play-off in 1935, both years at Royal County Down); Charles won by eight shots from Abe Mitchell at Royal Portrush in 1931; and Reginald held a two-stroke winning margin at Royal Dublin in 1936. All three played in the Ryder Cup at Ridgewood, New Jersey in 1935.
In the first event played after World War II, Fred Day became the first native winner in 194...
The Irish Open is one of the best attended events on the European Tour schedule, with big galleries recorded during the week when this 72-hole stroke play professional contest takes place. It’s been held on a variety of dates, as early as mid-May and as late as September, but spectators flock to see the top players no matter when the championship is played during the season.
Starting in 2012 at Royal Portrush in County Antrim, the winner has been presented with a Waterford Crystal trophy which was commissioned by the European Tour, marking the first time the event had been held in Northern Ireland since it was played at Belvoir Park in Belfast nearly sixty years previously. The distinctive trophy features a unique design of flat and diamond cutting, incorporating a beautifully crafted crystal sphere.
The competition began back in 1927 at Portmarnock, when George Duncan from Scotland edged out Henry Cotton by one stroke to claim the gold medal and the £150 first prize. The following eleven editions before the intervention of World War II were then dominated by English players, the only non-English winner being South African Bobbly Locke at Portmarnock in 1938.
Interestingly, four of those other ten tournaments were won by one of the Whitcombe brothers from Somerset: Ernest triumphed twice (by four shots in 1928 then after a play-off in 1935, both years at Royal County Down); Charles won by eight shots from Abe Mitchell at Royal Portrush in 1931; and Reginald held a two-stroke winning margin at Royal Dublin in 1936. All three played in the Ryder Cup at Ridgewood, New Jersey in 1935.
In the first event played after World War II, Fred Day became the first native winner in 1946 at Portmarnock. He was followed by Harry Bradshaw at Royal Portrush the following year and Harry then repeated the feat at Belvoir Park in 1949. There was no tournament held in 1951 or 1952 then, despite a short-lived revival in 1953, the Irish Open went into a hibernation period that lasted more than twenty years.
The championship was resurrected in 1975 as a European Tour event at Woodbrook in Dublin, with Christy O’Connor Jr. becoming the third Irishman to win the trophy. Carroll’s sponsored that Open and did so for the following eighteen editions, until Murphy’s took over in 1994. That deal ended in 2003, with Nissan then headlining the tournament for four years. Since then, the competition hasn’t always had a sponsor, though it was titled “The Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation” from 2015 to 2018.
In the more modern era, several of the greats of European golf have won the Irish Open and four of them share the record of three victories: Seve Ballesteros (1983, 1985, 1986); Nick Faldo (1991, 1992, 1993); Bernhard Langer (1984, 1987, 1994); and Colin Montgomerie (1996, 1997, 2001).
John O’Leary (Portmarnock in 1982) and Pádraig Harrington (Adare Manor in 2007) were popular home winners but the most remarkable Irish victory at the Open is surely Shane Lowry’s at County Louth in 2009 while still an amateur, defeating Robert Rock on the third hole of a sudden death playoff. This win, on his tour début, made him just the third amateur to win on the European Tour and he’s since gone on to enjoy a very successful professional career.
Portmarnock has hosted the most number of Irish Opens (19), followed a long way back by Royal Dublin with six. Four clubs have each been honoured to hold the event of four occasions: Druids Glen, Killarney, Royal Dublin and Royal Portrush.
Irish Open host courses
Adare Manor
1st


Following J. P. McManus’s acquisition of Adare Manor in 2015, the old RTJ-designed parkland course has gone, replaced by a new Tom Fazio layout which opened in May 2018.
Ballybunion (Old)
1st



As you drive from the historic town of Ballybunion, along the winding road to the golf club, your eyes feast upon the most spectacular links land imaginable.
Ballyliffin (Glashedy)
2nd


Ballyliffin Golf Club is often described as “the Ballybunion of the North” or “the Dornoch of Ireland” and the reason is simple; all the aforementioned are set amidst towering natural sand dunes.
Belvoir Park
4th

With undulating, lush fairways and avenues of trees, Belvoir Park Golf Club is quite rightly regarded as one of the best inland courses in Northern Ireland.
Carton House (Montgomerie)
2nd

The Montgomerie course at Carton House hosted the 2005 Irish Open. Although not a links course, it looks and plays like one.
County Louth
1st


The approach road to the links of County Louth Golf Club, or Baltray as it is better known, named after the local fishing village, is especially uplifting.
Druids Glen
2nd

Druids Glen is the kaleidoscope of golf courses, for there is more colour here than at any other course in Ireland.
Fota Island (Deerpark)
3rd

The Deerpark course at Fota Island has played host to three Irish Open Amateur Championships and the Irish PGA Championship, impressive for a track which only opened for play in 1993.
Galgorm Castle
4th

The course at Galgorm Castle Golf Club lies within a spacious 220-acre estate that was once the ancestral home of the McQuillan clan and the Castle that looms over the 10th green dates back to 1618...
Irish Open Leaderboard
Rank | Name | Courses Played |
---|---|---|
1 | Steven O' Sullivan |
|
= | Shane Kelly |
|
3 | Brian Ward |
|
4 | Ryan Gribben |
|
= | Andy Newmarch |
|
= | Shane Derby |
|
7 | Donal O’Gorman |
|
= | Pam Allen |
|
= | Donal Murphy |
|
= | Malcolm Baker |
|