Sponsor resists Major draws

Even though the country’s four Major champions, Pádraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell, Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy — along with 2009 champion Shane Lowry — are in the field, the Irish Open at Carton House on June 27 continues without a title sponsor this year.

The failure to find a replacement for mobile phone company 3, which pulled out after Killarney in 2011 a year ahead of expectation, is a big disappointment for the European Tour at a time when so many big name home players indicated their intention of competing. Instead, they will depend on the ongoing support of Fáilte Ireland and a number of subsidiary sponsors to keep the prize fund at €2 million.

“We continue to try and find a title sponsor and we know there is a company out there interested in taking it on,” said the Tour’s commercial director James Finnegan. “Others are sitting on their hands but we are satisfied we have a portfolio of blue chip companies currently supporting the event. As long as the Irish Government and George O’Grady, [chief executive] of the European Tour, believes in the tournament, there will be an Irish Open.”