John Gleeson: Lahinch is still box office without Holywood star

Organisers of this summer’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Lahinch have insisted the prestige $7m European Tour event will not be defined by the absence of Rory McIlroy from the field.

Four-time major champion and Irish Open tournament host until last year, McIlroy announced yesterday that he would be skipping his national open, a Rolex Series event on the European Tour with a prize fund totalling €6.2m, in order to prepare for The Open Championship at Royal Portrush a fortnight later.

While there was disappointment at McIlroy’s decision to skip the tournament hosted by the Rory Foundation for the past four years, chairman of the Tournament Committee at Lahinch Golf Club John Gleeson said the success of the event would not be compromised by the absence of one its main attractions.

Speaking to Clare FM yesterday, Gleeson said: “We genuinely believe we can turn on something truly special without Rory McIlroy.

“I would emphasise, Rory not turning up does not define the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in Lahinch. It’s disappointing of course but it doesn’t define it and we think we will produce a marvellous event for everybody.”

Gleeson, whose sentiment was backed by an Irish sports industry expert, said this year’s tournament host Paul McGinley was not surprised by McIlroy’s declaration in an interview with BBC and he had the utmost confidence that former European Ryder Cup captain could assemble an otherwise world-class field for Lahinch this July 4-7.

“I believe Paul as host is doing everything he can to have a really strong field in Lahinch and I believe we will have a very strong field in Lahinch. We’ve only had the first announcements, Shane Lowry with his win in Abu Dhabi has kind of lit up the Irish golfing public again, and Tommy Fleetwood, one of the most popular European players and somebody everyone wants to see.

“I believe there will be several more player announcements over the coming months and I would be surprised and disappointed if the many people we expect to come to Lahinch don’t come simply because Rory is not playing.

“The field will be exceptional and we expect the event to be exceptional.”

Meanwhile, the CEO and founder of Onside Sponsorship John Trainor told the Irish Examiner he did not believe McIlroy’s absence would have an adverse effect for the majority of Irish golf fans or tournament sponsors.

Trainor pointed to his company’s research findings that the Irish public had a neutral or passive perception of McIlroy and that, for instance, the loss of a player such as Padraig Harrington from Lahinch would be more keenly felt.

“I can see how it would be maybe a bit of a downer for the Irish golfing community or golfing fan but quite frankly I would be less concerned on the basis that the Irish public has a measured sense of a relationship with Rory, despite his obvious achievements,” Trainor said, “and if we were to base it purely on research numbers that we use he isn’t necessarily as strong a draw as maybe someone like Padraig Harrington.

“I think the news would probably be more striking in terms of the public’s admiration and appeal for someone like Padraig Harrington than their sense of connection or relationship they might have with Rory.

“So while he’s recognised for his success and his performance, I’m not so sure that the public’s sense of his importance would be such that it would make a difference whether he would or wouldn’t play the Irish Open.

“McIlroy would have been a draw for sure but I’m not so sure that it would exponentially drastic that he’s not there in terms of fall-off at the gates.”

Although the tournament has enjoyed a healthy relationship with title sponsor Dubai Duty Free, whose input since 2015 has seen the prize fund rise from €2.5m such public indifference towards McIlroy as outlined by Trainor’s findings, may also be reflected by potential Irish market sponsors’ attitudes towards golf itself.

“I think right now, as a platform that sponsors believe provides strong opportunities for their businesses or brands, golf would be outside the top 10,” said Trianor.

Citing Onside’s 2019 Sponsorship Outlook Report, its annual industry survey of sponsors and rights holders released at the end of last month, Trainor said the areas seen as best providing strongest growth opportunities for sponsors were rugby, the GAA and concerts/music festivals, with golf trailing in joint 13th alongside TV programme sponsorship and sailing.

“Only 7% of sponsors in the Irish market at the moment will say that golf provides opportunities for growth and in terms of perceived value for money, it equally isn’t to be found in the top 10.

“So I suppose for me there’s a wider view among sponsors in the Irish market right now that is a little bit ambivalent towards golf as a platform. So I don’t think Rory being in or out of the Irish Open is necessarily going to significantly or dramatically change that.”