Padraig Harrington has welcomed a decision to move next year’s Irish Open with Ireland’s premier event to be staged from June 28th to July 1st 2012 but with a main sponsor still to be signed.
It means the 2012 Irish Open will now not clash with the July 27th commencement of the London Olympics.
Also it will see four of the biggest events on the 2012 Race to Dubai schedule being contested between the June 17th concluding U.S. Open in San Francisco and the July 19th starting British Open at Royal Lytham and St. Annes.
Keith Waters, Director of International Policy, European Tour.
They include the BMW International Open (June 21st to 24th), Irish Open (June 28th to July 1st), French Open (July 5th to 8th) and the Scottish Open (July 12th to 15th).
“It’s a good decision but then I don’t think moving the Irish Open to before The Open Championship will do it any harm compared to the date it has had the past two years and that’s two weeks after The Open,” said Harrington after signing for five under par 67 on the opening day of the Portugal Masters at Villamoura.
“We’re still going to get all the leading Irish players competing but then moving the Irish Open certainly won’t attract any less of the other leading Europeans.”
Harrington is a former winner of the Irish Open having won his national Open for a first occasion in 2008 at Adare Manor.
However the only concern moving the Irish Open to late June could be the loss of reigning U.S. Open champion, Rory McIlroy as the PGA Tour’s A T & T National is played in that week each year.
And with McIlroy taking up full time PGA Tour membership, McIlroy would be seriously tempted to compete given the event is returning to the U.S. capital and the Congressional course where the young Ulsterman claimed a maiden Major Championship title.
Keith Waters, Director of International Policy with the European Tour, indicated in Portugal discussions are still on-going in regards to finding a main sponsor for the Irish Open.
“We are pretty sure we are returning to Killarney next year but then we are still in dicussions regarding a sponsor,” said Waters.
“But the good thing in moving the Irish Open is that if it were to take place next year two weeks after The Open, as it has for the past two years, it would clash with the Olympics in London.
“As it is the two events that will clash with the London Olympics are both in the States at that time of year, the Bridgestone Invitational and PGA Championship.”
And in another move on the 2012 Race to Dubai schedule, the BMW Italian Open is moving from its normal early June date to mid-September and just prior to the September 27th starting Ryder Cup.
“Moving the Italian Open to September is a move purely to get all the leading Italian players to compete,” said Waters.
