Padraig Harrington has welcomed a decision to move next year’s Irish Open to June 28th to July 1st 2012 even though 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.
It will also 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
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They include the BMW International Open (June 21stto 24th), Irish Open (June 28th to July 1st), French Open (July 5th to 8th) and the Scottish Open (July 12thto 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.
“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.
Rory McIlroy will be taking up full time PGA Tour membership, and will be competing given the event is returning to the Congressional course where he claimed a maiden Major Championship title.
Keith Waters, Director of International Policy with the European Tour, indicated that 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.”