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Golf Betting - Irish Open
History - Facts - Winners
Important Facts
- The Irish Open is more than just a tournament, it is something of a National Festival. Wherever the venue, and there have been some spectacular locations, it is the place to be for Irish sports people in general and golfers in particular. They come from all around the Island to acknowledge the skills of some of the best players in the world.
- It is, of course, one of the oldest National Open Championships. In fact, when it was inaugurated in 1927 by the Golfing Union of Ireland, it became only the third championship available to the professionals in Great Britain and Ireland.
- It was to Ireland that the best of British flocked in 1927 to test the famous Portmarnock links just north of the city of Dublin. It was at that Club's instigation that the Championship began because they had previously hosted a series of exhibition matches between former Open Champion George Duncan from Wentworth and Abe Mitchell who played a major role in the organisation of the first Ryder Cup just a couple of months before the Irish Open.
- There were six former winners of The Open in the field of 132 and it may surprise even the most diligent of historians that the winner of the first Irish Open, the same George Duncan, received £150, double the amount offered to the top professional in The Open a month earlier. The total prize fund at St. Andrews was £500. At Portmarnock it was £750 - and a profit of £225 was realised.
- Duncan scored 74 in torrential rain, which is still considered one of the great rounds in the history of the Championship. The weather was foul and Duncan protected himself from the torrential rain by stuffing brown paper in layers down the inside of his trousers.
- With the exception of the war years the Championship continued until 1950 but by then there were financial difficulties and although it was revived briefly in 1953 it lay dormant until 1975 when P.J. Carroll & Co. revived the Irish Open. Murphy's Irish Stout took over the title sponsorship in November 1993 and played an important role in the event’s history right through to 2002 when Nissan took over as Title sponsors through to 2006.
- Fred Daly, Irelands only Open Champion to date, and Harry Bradshaw who lost in play-off in 1949, Christy O'Connor Jnr in 1975 and John O'Leary, the most recent back in 1982, have been the home winners of the title.
- The Championship has always attracted top class international fields from around the world. It has been played on some of the best and most spectacular courses in the land, like Portmarnock, Royal Dublin, Killarney, Mount Juliet, Druids Glen, in 2000 on Munster's world renowned links at Ballybunion Co. Kerry and in 2001 and 2002 at Fota Island Golf Club in Cork.
- Fota Island in the 2001 Irish Open saw two of Ireland's golfing heroes Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke tie for second place behind Montgomerie. Beautiful weather, magnificent support from Cork's golfing public at a venue in pristine condition, saw the Irish bid to bridge what is now a 25 year gap, come so close.... Montgomerie was supreme and said afterwards following many months without a win "That was one of the most important, if not the most important win of my career."
- In 2003 the championship returning to its spiritual home, Portmarnock, for the first year under Nissan’s sponsorship where record crowds watched the coveted trophy being lifted by New Zealand's Michael Campbell. Campbell, of course, went on to win the 2005 US Open Champion to add his name to the illustrious list of champions to have won both the Irish Open and a Major Championship.
- The following year, the championship moved 30 miles further north along Ireland's East coast to Baltray, frequently described as the 'hidden gem' of Irish Golf courses. Once again, the event was a huge success attracting huge galleries from all over Ireland to witness Australia's Brett Rumford claiming his maiden European Tour title when a closing round of 67 gave him a five shot victory over the field.
- The event moved to Kildare in 2005 where it was played on the superb new Montgomerie Course at the magnificent Carton House venue in Maynooth and after thrilling magnificent days of golf Welshman Stephen Dodd lifted trophy.
- The Irish Open returned to Carton House in 2006 to witness one of the most outstanding comebacks in European Tour history as Denmark’s Thomas Björn birdied the final two holes to win his ninth European Tour title. Björn trailed the leaders by nine shots after an opening 78 but fought back tenaciously to shoot 66, 67 and 72 to triumph against the odds.
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