Government’s Irish Open lethargy worries golf chiefs

Rory McIlroy might be big box office, but the Irish Open still needs a commitment from the Irish Government to ensure the event builds on the momentum of what promises to be an 80,000 sellout at Royal County Down next May.

That was the stark message from the European Tour’s commercial director James Finnigan, who fears that Fáilte Ireland are set to pull away from the event in the future despite having done “the hard yards” by sticking with it through the recent dark years.

With the attendance at Royal County Down next May 28-31 limited to 20,000 a day due to the confined spaces at the famed Newcastle links, fans are being urged to book their tickets before December 31 to avoid missing out on what promises to be the best Irish Open field ever assembled.