Irish PGA returns to Galway Bay
Format reduced to 54-holes for only the second time in 30 years
GALWAY BAY will host the 108th Irish Professional Championship from October 11-13 – twenty-four years after Darren Clarke recovered from an opening 78 to win the title by three strokes from Raymie Burns on three-under-par in 1994.
The Dungannon star won IR£13,000 for his lone triumph in what was then the Smurfit Irish PGA Championship, admitting afterwards that setting his sights low after that poor first round turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
The Irish Professional Championship has fallen on hard times in recent years and the entire field will split just €24,000 (the winner will take home €3,600) with this year’s championship the first to be played over just 54 holes.
Although weather problems forced a reduction to three rounds in 1998, 2002 and 2012, it’s the first time it will been scheduled for just 54 holes since it struggled for sponsorship in 1987 and equipment companies McGregor, DunlopSlazenger and To-Morrow combined with Drogheda based Flogas to stump up the IR£10,500 prize fund for a mid-November staging at Baltray.
The sponsorship headache was eased in 1990 when Dr Michael Smurfit stepped into the breach and the Irish Championship became the biggest closed national championship in Europe for 14 years until 2003 with the prize fund rising to over €135,000, costing Smurfit in excess of €250,000 annually to stage.
Since then there have been several smaller sponsors with Cuisine De France and AngloIrish Bank, Cuisine De France and Simple Overseas Properties, Sherry Fitzgerald, Ladbrokes.com, Cassidy Golf, the Down Syndrome Centre, LowFuelCard.ie, Roganstown and Moyvalley Hotel & Golf Resort all doing their bit.
As a result, the prize fund has hovered around the €25,000 to €30,000 mark for the past eight years and while Galway Bay Golf Resort and TLC Homes are sponsoring the event this year, the PGA in Ireland’s Regional Manager, Michael McCumiskey, confessed that finding backers is no easy task now that our shrinking posse of tour players have bigger fish to try on the European Tour.
“I’m of an optimistic nature and I would never rule it out but it is challenging to hope to get back to the level of sponsorship we had before,” he said. “What I would say that if we lived in a perfect world, we would be well enhanced if we had a prize fund of €50,000 and we could keep it at that.”
Even when Pádraig Harrington used it as a warm-up event for the Open from 2007 to 2009, the prize fund fell as low as €26,000.
As for the decision to play the event over 54 holes rather than the traditional 72, that comes down to the shrinking prize-fund and the difficulties PGA professionals face when seeking time away from their club jobs.
“The committee endorsed the decision to reduce it to 54-holes because there are more exacting demands on professionals to be at their place of work,” he said.
“We haven’t had an abundance of choice when it comes to getting the prize fund to a level we would aspire to. But if we could get the prize fund back to the €50,000 mark we could look at returning to a four-round championship.
“Including the Pro-Am it is still four days away from the professional’s shop for many of our members and that doesn’t include travelling to the west of Ireland. The main reason for the reduction to 54 holes is the prize fund but time is also a factor.”
Whatever about the nuts and bolts of the organisation of the event, the venue is stunning.
The Oranmore resort last staged the Irish Championship back in 1994 when a 26-year-old Darren Clarke won with a four-round total of 285.
Tim Rice, who recently won the
PGA EuroPro Tour’s “FORE” Business Championship at East Sussex National Golf Resort & Spa, will be the defending champion.
The 41-year-old fired a closing two under par 70 to complete a wireto-wire success at Moyvalley Hotel and Golf Resort last June, finishing three shots ahead of Colm Moriarty from Drive Golf Performance with 2016 champion, Damien McGrane, finishing in third on six under par.
“When we first visited Galway Bay in 1993 for the official opening it was clear to everyone what a great layout and design that Christy O’Connor Jnr had delivered,” McCumiskey said.
“It led to the club and the Smurfit Group agreeing to play host to the 1994 Irish PGA Championship. Over four days, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley fought out what can be truly described as ‘the duel in the west’ with Clarke proving best by a very narrow margin.
“This year, defending champion Tim Rice will be joined by many of our leading players including past champions Simon Thornton, David Higgins and Michael McGeady. The field will also feature regular winners Richard Kilpatrick, Brian McElhinney and Colm Moriarty.
“We have played Pro-Ams in recent years at Galway Bay Golf Resort and the style in which the golf course has been presented, through Course Superintendent Damian Coleman, really enthuses our interest in playing the event in October.”
The late Christy O’Connor Jnr designed the beautifully landscaped golf course at the Galway Bay Golf Resort just nine miles from the City of Galway.
Its tranquility belies a challenging par 72 golf course, with particularly strong opening and closing holes. Excellent fairways and true, fast greens guarantee an enjoyable and interesting golf course for golfers of all abilities.
The golf club has recently made an extensive investment into the development of a new clubhouse with a new larger and better-equipped restaurant, bar and changing area so as to enhance the golfing experience.
“We are delighted to announce that the 108th Irish PGA Championship will this year be held at Galway Bay Golf Resort,” said Ronan Killeen, Director of Galway Bay Resort.
“We have hosted many big events in recent times – the Irish MidAmateur Open, Bi-Annual Carey Cup and Connacht Finals – and we look forward to welcoming Ireland’s top PGA Professionals to our course. The course is in superb shape right now and we look forward to showing it off in October.
“It promises to be a superb, well-attended event, with the best of Ireland’s professionals battling out to become the Irish PGA champion.”
There will be a pre-Championship Pro-Am on Wednesday, October 10 and those interested in teeing it up should contact the PGA in Ireland Regional Manager, Michael McCumiskey on +353 (0) 42 932 1193.
If we could get the prize fund back to the €50,000 mark we could look at returning to a four-round championship