Prize upped for European Open

Record prize money of €3.5m has been confirmed for the Smurfit European Open at the K Club near Dublin, which starts on July 6.

Despite appeals from a number of top players, the tournament has been switched back to the Smurfit course rather than the Palmer lay-out which will stage the Ryder Cup in September.

The purse is €146,000 up on last year when England’s Kenneth Ferrie took advantage of an amazing collapse by Dane Thomas Bjorn, who ran up an 11 on the 17th when sharing the lead and finished with a round of 86.

George O’Grady, executive director of the European Tour, said: “This announcement keeps the Smurfit European Open at the forefront of the European Tour in what is a very special year for the K Club and Ireland as we look forward to the 36th Ryder Cup.”