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| The 3rd hole from the back tees. This is what the Pros will see. |
To mark the occasion, The European Tour has put together 15 interesting facts about the Irish Open… some you may know... some you probably won't.
The first ever Irish
Open was held in 1927 when Scotsman George Duncan lifted the trophy at
Portmarnock in Dublin. The history of the
Irish Open in Northern Ireland dates back to 1928 when the second ever
tournament was held at Royal County Down, the venue for this year’s event. Prior to this year, the
Irish Open has been held in Northern Ireland 10 times. Royal Portrush has hosted the event on four
occasions (1930, 1937, 1947 and 2012), Royal County Down on three prior
occasions (1928, 1935 and 1939), Belvoir Park, Belfast, twice in 1949 and 1953,
with Malone Golf Club, Belfast, hosting the event just once in 1933. Portmarnock in Dublin
has hosted the most Irish Open tournaments by a considerable distance, a total
of 19 over the course of 76 years –
from the very first event in 1927 to 2003 when Michael Campbell from New
Zealand was crowned Champion. In 2012, the Irish Open
returned to Northern Ireland for the first time in more than 50 years when
Royal Portrush hosted a record breaking tournament, the first European Tour
event to sell out completely in advance.
Jamie Donaldson was crowned champion that year and likened the
experience to playing in a major championship.  |
| The par three 4th |
Ireland’s Christy
O’Connor Senior has won more Irish Opens than any other player with FOUR
triumphs in total – three at Woodbrook in County Wicklow in 1964, 1967 and
1972, and once at Royal Dublin in 1966 (Royal Dublin). Three years after his last victory in 1972,
his nephew, Christy O’Connor Junior, won his only Irish Open title – again at
Woodbrook! Four players have won a
hat-trick of Irish Opens and they are Spanish legend Seve Ballesteros (1983,
1985, 1986), German Bernhard Langer (1984, 1987, 1994), England’s Nick Faldo
(1991, 1992, 1993) and Scotsman Colin Montgomerie (1996, 1997, 2001). Nick Faldo holds the
record for consecutive Irish Open wins with three in a row from 1991 to
1993. The only other players to successfully
defend their titles with back-to-back wins are Ballesteros (1985-86),
Montgomerie (1996-97), Welshman Ian Woosnam (1988-89), England’s Mark James
(1979-80), Christy O’Connor Snr (1966-67). The first two Irish
Opens to be held in Northern Ireland were won by English brothers Ernest
Whitcombe at Royal County Down 1928 and Charles Whitcombe at Royal Portrush in
1930. A third brother Reg completed
Irish Open wins for the whole family when he lifted the title at Royal Dublin
in 1936. The lowest 18-hole
score in an Irish Open is 61, a feat accomplished by Northern Ireland’s Graeme
McDowell at County Louth in 2009 and again the following year by England’s Ross
Fisher when he won the tournament at Killarney in 2010. However, G-Mac’s score was 11-under par,
compared to Fisher’s 10-under. |
| The par four 13th, green to tee |
The biggest winning
margin in an Irish Open was in 1987 when Bernhard Langer finished 10 shots
ahead of the field at Portmarnock. Wicklow golfer Harry
Bradshaw obviously liked travelling up north as he won the Irish Open twice in
Northern Ireland in the space of three years – firstly in 1947 at Royal
Portrush and then again in 1949 at Belvoir Park. Fred Daly from Portrush is the only player from Northern Ireland
to ever win the Irish Open, when he lifted the title at Portmarnock, Dublin, in
1946. The following year he became the first Irish player to win the Open Championship in 1947 at Hoylake
(Royal Liverpool) Golf Club. Daly went on to play on four Ryder Cup teams in 1947, 1949, 1951, and 1953. The lowest 72-hole
score is 266 (18-under) shared by Colin Montgomerie (Fota Island, 2001) and
Ross Fisher (Killarney, 2010). The
lowest 72-hole score in relation to par though is a 21-under 275 by Christy
O’Connor Jnr in 1975 at Woodbrook. The course record at Royal County
Down is 66 set by Ireland’s first golfing superstar Jimmy Bruen in the opening
round of 1939’s Irish Open. This was the last time that Royal County Down
hosted the Irish Open, some 76 years ago, and his record remains intact.
Jimmy, was born in Belfast in 1920 but grew up and learned his trade in Cork,
led the field after the first 36 holes but couldn’t hold on as the tournament
was eventually won by England’s Arthur Lees. With this year’s amazing
field, led by World Number One Rory McIlroy, it will be very interesting to see
if Jimmy’s record will still be standing come Sunday evening’s trophy
presentation!
Advance tickets are currently available from
£35 per day with season tickets available for £85, while families will be
delighted to hear that under-16s will be admitted FREE as long as they are
accompanied by an adult (up to four children are allowed with one paying
adult).
Corporate hospitality tickets are also available for the event at a
cost of £300 + VAT per person, and include course admission, reserved grandstand seat on the 18th green, an
official programme, reserved VIP parking, and generous hospitality in the Slieve
Donard Hotel - including breakfast followed by a Champagne Reception, a buffet
lunch served with fine wines, afternoon tea and a complimentary bar.
For more information or to purchase tickets,
visit www.irishopen.ie.
For information on accommodation offers and
golf in Northern Ireland, visit www.discovernorthernireland.com/irish-open-2015.
Anyone travelling to the event is advised to
plan their travel in advance with Translink offering a range of hassle-free and
good value travel options. Click on www.translink.co.uk/irishopen for full details.
We're almost there, for one of the most exciting Irish Opens in years. If you can't be there in person, then make sure to watch it on the TV/Internet - it's going to be a cracker.
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