‘One-off’ West kicks off big year for Sligo
COUNTY Sligo Golf Club is looking forward to a huge year in 2019 but the first strokeplay edition of the West of Ireland Championship is just one of three big events in the diary as it prepares to celebrate its 125th anniversary.
While the National Finals of the All Ireland Senior Interclub Championship for the Fred Perry Trophy from September 26-27 may resonate more with club stalwarts, it’s the big ticket items that will get all the publicity.
Rosses Point is synonymous with the season-opening “West” – a classic matchplay championship that has been played without interruption in Connacht since 1923.
But while eyebrows will be raised by the news that the Championship Committee has opted for a 72-hole strokeplay model next year, it has been stressed by all parties that this is a one-off occurrence.
With the club staging the Flogas Irish Amateur Open from May 16-19, the sixweek period that’s required between championships meant bringing the “West” forward two weeks from its traditional Easter date.
Staging it from April 4-7 with a 132-strong field and a cut to the top 50 and ties after three rounds was considered the best option in terms of attracting the strongest possible field at a time when there are no Bank Holidays available.
The Championship will return to its matchplay roots over the Easter holidays in 2020 but next year’s one-off strokeplay edition will likely give some overseas players hoping to win May’s Irish Amateur Open, the perfect opportunity to test themselves on the renovated Co Sligo links.