Killarney will up the ante

GIVEN the success of last year’s Irish Open, repeating the feat this summer would be a tall order in anyone’s book but Killarney Golf & Fishing Club general manager Maurice O’Meara is optimistic there is still room for improvement.

Great entertainment, a supportive community and some excellent bank holiday weather served as an ideal backdrop to last year’s tournament, which saw 82,000 spectators flood onto the Killeen Course over a week that ended with Ross Fisher holding off a last-round surge from Pádraig Harrington.

There have been a few bumps in the road since, not least another harsh winter and the loss of last year’s title sponsors but O’Meara is convinced all the ingredients are in place for another bumper event from July 28-31, running once again alongside the Killarney’s annual Summerfest.