The European Tour and Fáilte Ireland have confirmed that the Irish Open will return to the Killeen Course at the Killarney Golf and Fishing Club from July 28-31, 2011.
The announcement was made last night by European Tour Chief Executive George O’Grady and Fáilte Ireland Chairman Redmond O’Donoghue at the Irish Links Society Dinner in the Burlington Hotel in Dublin and will be the fourth time in history that the tournament has been staged at the renowned County Kerry venue.
On the first two occasions, in 1991 and 1992, Sir Nick Faldo emerged as the champion while on the tournament’s return to Killarney in July of this year, Faldo’s fellow countryman Ross Fisher triumphed after holding off a determined final day challenge from home hero Padraig Harrington.
Fisher’s victory helped him secure his Ryder Cup debut later in the year and join an impressive list of 17 other players from both sides of the Atlantic who, since the birth of The European Tour in 1972, have both an Irish Open win and Ryder Cup honours on their respective golfing CVs: Seve Ballesteros, Thomas Björn, Ken Brown, Ben Crenshaw, Nick Faldo, Sergio Garcia, Hubert Green, Søren Hansen, Padraig Harrington, Mark James, Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Christy O’Connor Jnr, José Maria Olazábal, John O’Leary, Sam Torrance and Ian Woosnam.
George O’Grady said: “All our Members have spoken very highly of Killarney Golf and Fishing Club and the tremendous welcome given to them, not only by the club but by the town of Killarney itself. There was a wonderful festival atmosphere generated by the record crowds over the course of the week and we are so pleased to be returning.”
Redmond O’Donoghue said: “We are delighted to once again be involved in this great event and to commit to being a major sponsor to ensure its continued success. The 2010 tournament saw a revival of the event to its former status and provided a fantastic opportunity to showcase Ireland to an audience of 394 million homes worldwide.
“The event attracted the best field seen for many years with 25 of Europe’s top 50 players participating. Some 82,000 spectators came to Killarney Golf and Fishing Club over the four days – the second highest attendance for a European Tour event after their flagship BMW PGA Championship which was attended by 88,000 spectators. We are happy to be able to confirm our continued involvement in the Irish Open for 2011.”
Mary Hanafin, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, said: “This is wonderful news for Killarney and for Irish golf. Everyone who attended the tournament and millions of television viewers across the globe were enthralled by the golf and the beauty of the scenery in Killarney. I witnessed myself the warm festival atmosphere that was afforded to players, their families, caddies, officials and golf enthusiasts at the event in the Killarney Golf and Fishing Club last July. The world class field of players, including some of our top Irish golfers, ensured that the event was a huge success. It is great to once again showcase all that is good about golf in Ireland.”
The prize fund for the 2011 Irish Open will be confirmed at a later date but to claim the lion’s share the eventual winner will have to conquer not only a high quality field but also the Killeen Course itself. The jewel in the crown of the three-course Killarney Golf Complex was originally designed in 1972 by Eddie Hackett and Billy O’Sullivan. The Killarney lakes and high mountain range provide a stunning backdrop to the course itself.
This year’s tournament attracted a bumper attendance of 82,000 over the four tournament days and with the final day of the 2011 tournament once again falling on the Sunday before the August public holiday in Ireland, it is expected that similar crowds numbers will make their way to the Killeen Course.
Maurice O’Meara, General Manager of Killarney Golf and Fishing Club said: “Killarney Golf and Fishing Club is delighted and welcomes the announcement that the 2011 Irish Open will return to Killarney to be played on the world-class Killeen Course. Following the amazing success of last year’s Irish Open, we hope that we can build on this success and add even more to this year’s event.
“We look forward to working closely with The European Tour, Fáilte Ireland and all of the local businesses in Killarney to make the 2011 Irish Open one of the Irish sporting events of the year. Having welcomed the leading European Tour players in 2010 we hope that they and their families will return again in 2011 for a Bank Holiday festival of golf.”
