| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland |
| Established | 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.
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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]
Pre-revival of Irish Open name, and European Tour sanctioning
*(a) indicates an amateur golfer, prize money awarded to top professional
| 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 |
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