Tour chief says Monty will play at Killarney

VICTORIOUS Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie will be among the stars teeing off at this summer’s Irish Open, according to European Tour boss George O’Grady.

Homegrown heroes Pádraig Harrington, Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell have already committed to supporting this year’s event, which looks set to go ahead without a title sponsor following 3’s withdrawal from the role last November, two years into a three-year deal with the European Tour.

Tour chief executive O’Grady told the Irish Examiner yesterday at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth that the Irish trio’s Celtic Manor skipper Montgomerie, a three-time winner of the event, would also be lining up at Killarney Golf and Fishing Club on July 28-31 in a field which, he said, would be stronger than at last year’s event, when England’s Ross Fisher held off a final-day charge on the Killeen Course from Harrington.