Golf: Irish Region Championship to go west

The Smurfit PGA Irish Region Championship will return to the West of Ireland this year for the first time since Darren Clarke won the event at Galway Bay in 1994.

Westport will be the venue on April 25 to 28 which means a major change in the timing of the championship.

Normally, it is played in October but, in order to have the cream of the Irish European Tour players available, the tournament has been switched to a spring date - the week after the Seve Trophy is played at Druid's Glen.

Des Smyth won the Irish title, for a sixth time, at Castlerock last October, and he will be at Westport to defend the honours.

Others who have confirmed their entries are Paul McGinley, Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke.

With a prize fund of over €137,000, the Irish Championship is the richest domestic event in Europe.

There is also a prize fund of €3,800 for the qualifying event which has still to be arranged.

"I'm delighted that the championship will have the strongest field in years and I am pleased that we are going back to the west, in keeping with our policy laid down some years ago of taking the event all over the country," said Irish Region secretary Michael McCumiskey.

This will be the first time for an all-professional tournament to be played at the Par 73 Westport course.