Dubai Duty Free could be in for long haul with Irish Open

Colm McLoughlin, executive vice-chairman of Dubai Duty Free, has indicated that the company’s sponsorship of golf’s Irish Open has the potential to stretch far beyond the current three-year term, which is due to expire in 2018.

Dubai Duty Free stepped in as title sponsor of the event last year on an initial one-off basis and it was announced later in 2015 that another deal, spanning three more tournaments, had been agreed for the event, which is hosted by Rory McIlroy’s foundation.

Having frequently failed to attract a commercial sponsor, the tournament has experienced a rebirth in recent times, with more of the world’s top players being lured to the event by a combination of McIlroy’s prompting and an increased prize pot.