David Higgins to defend Irish PGA Championship title at Carne Golf Links

Carne Golf Links will once again play host to the Irish PGA Championship 2022 from 17-20 August.

 

The 54-hole tournament is returning to the Wild Atlantic Dunes course at Carne Links, for the second year in a row, and will be preceded on August 17th by a Pro-Am (I'll post some pictures). The tournament, which is the oldest golf tournament in Europe, will once again be sponsored by Columbia Sportswear, whose CEO, Tim Boyle, and his family, owns Gearhart Golf Links in Portland, Oregon, which is twinned with Carne Golf Links.

 

Defending champion, David Higgins (Waterville Links), and many of Ireland’s leading PGA professionals will battle for a slice of the €45,000 prize fund put up by Erris Tourism Holdings Ltd, the course owners.

 

Former champions, Tim Rice (Limerick GC) and Damian Mooney (Damian Mooney Golf) have confirmed their place in the field alongside European Tour winner Simon Thornton, and serial winners on the PGA circuit, Colm Moriarty (Glasson Lakehouse), Richard Kilpatrick (Banbridge GC) and Liam Grehan (The K Club).

 

“We are delighted to be staging the 112^th Irish PGA Championship at the wonderful Wild Atlantic Dunes at Carne Golf Links in County Mayo.  This is our most historic event in The PGA in Ireland calendar and it’s a pleasure to work once again alongside Chairman Gerry Maguire, General Manager Fiona Togher, and the entire team at Carne, who are first class supporters of golf in Ireland.  I would also like to recognise Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle for his continued support of this event” said Conor Dillon, PGA in Ireland Regional Manager.

 

The event will copperfasten the Wild Atlantic Dunes course routing at Carne Golf Links, which entered the Irish Golfer Top 100 rankings at number 13, and has been described as the biggest and most explosive Links in Ireland. 

The original 18-hole course that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean on Ireland’s west coast in County Mayo was the last to be designed by the celebrated architect Eddie Hackett and was completed in 1995. An additional nine holes known as the Kilmore, which was opened in 2013, plus the back nine of the Hackett course form the Wild Atlantic Dunes – the stage for a tournament that was first contested in 1907.

 

Chairman of Carne Golf Links, Gerry Maguire: “On behalf of the Board of Turasoireacht Iorrais Teo (Carne Golf Links) we are delighted to be welcoming back the Irish PGA Championship in 2022 on our magnificent Wild Atlantic Dunes course at Carne.

 

“I would like to welcome all the visiting Pros, their families and friends, to Carne, for what I know will be a great test of golf in dramatic and spectacular surroundings, amongst the highest dunescape in the world, and I wish them all the very best of luck in the tournament.

 

“It is a great honour for Carne and the Erris Gaeltacht region to be able to host this prestigious tournament, and we are looking forward to building on the success of the 2021 Championship and ensuring that the 2022 Tournament will be even more successful and enjoyable. Spectators are welcome free of charge at the event, which will bring a huge economic bounce to the town of Belmullet with increased bednights and spin offs for the local hotel, hospitality and retail industries.  It is only made possible by the support of our sponsors, Columbia Sportswear, and we are delighted to continue our successful twinning with Gearhart Golf Links, and partnership with Columbia.

 

“We look forward to working with the Irish PGA and continuing our long standing relationship to ensure a very successful Championship for all.”

 

Tim Boyle, CEO of Columbia Sportswear, added; “We are honoured to sponsor the prestigious Irish PGA Championship at Carne Golf Links, one of the world’s best courses.”