Irish Open returns to Royal Portrush with Brewin Dolphin as the official sponsor
The Irish Open on the European Tour is all set to return to Royal Portrush after a mammoth lapse of 59 years when the course last hosted the event in 1947.
The event will be returning with a brand new sponsor on its belt, the leading investment management company Brewin Dolphin and is likely to provide the much-needed impetus for the promotion of the sport in Northern Ireland.
Irish Open was last held at Royal Portrush in 1947 and the event moved on to more lucrative venues and never returned to the scenic course.
It is primarily due to the relentless efforts of the blistering Northern Irish troika, the 2011 Open Champion Darren Clarke, the US Open champion Rory McIlroy and the 2010 US Open winner Graeme McDowell who pushed the European Tour officials to reconsider
Portrush as a viable venue.
Philip Browne, Marketing Director at Brewin Dolphin expresses his excitement for the newly reached agreement between the investment firm and the European Tour.
He said, “We are so pleased to be able to join the Irish Open on The European Tour and it gives us such a wonderful platform to highlight the presence of our two nearest offices in Belfast and Dublin”.
James Finnigan, The European Tour’s Commercial Director for the Irish Open, said:
“Brewin Dolphin is a welcome addition to The European Tour’s family of sponsors and we are delighted that they will be part of one of the most eagerly anticipated Irish Opens in many years”.
Irish Open faced serious financial problems as consecutive sponsors ditched the event in wake of huge losses and the Irish Open was left rudder-less for several years.
The initial sponsor Nissan pulled out of the sponsorship deal back in the year 2006, citing massive losses.
The Adare Golf Club, part of the Adare Manor Hotel and Golf Resort in County Limerick came forward to sponsor the event for three years but decided to pull out in 2009, again citing losses.
Telecommunication giant 3 Mobile came forward in the year 2010 to throw its weight behind the event, raising the purse to a whooping €3 million.
The sponsorship, however, did not last for more than a year and the event was barely able to survive with a makeshift support from National Tourism Development Authority of the Republic of Ireland with a reduced purse of €1.5 million.
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