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.

“I know all the Irish players are playing, which you’ve got to have,” O’Grady said.

“Everybody else in the world is fighting to get McIlroy to play in their tournament, and Harrington to play in their tournament and McDowell and they’re all there and you need that.

“It will be a little bit stronger than last year and last year wasn’t a bad field and Montgomerie has told me he’s going to play — and we’ve got others.”

The Irish Open has long been considered one of the biggest tournaments on the European calendar and O’Grady hinted at more big-name announcements to come on the heels of encouraging news regarding the event’s prize fund.

“We haven’t announced the prize fund yet but we’ve got some exciting announcements coming up,” he added.

“We’re rock solid secure at a money level, which is in my head, but every day it’s getting a little bit better and some big people are going to come in behind it as well.”