Fota: Hard to match success of Irish Open
The European Tour must keep Tourism Ireland happy and, with Fota Island appearing reluctant to try and better what was the perfect week again in 2016, the focus for all interested parties now turns to finding a title sponsor that can boost the prize fund beyond €2m.
With the Chinese owners of Fota Island putting €500,000 into the event, Fáilte Ireland reduced its investment by €250,000 this year to €1m. However, European Tour chief executive George O’Grady is confident the Government will not back away now.
