The 2013 Irish Open is poised to become a spectacular Festival of Golf next month when Carton House Golf Club welcomes a world class field to County Kildare from June 27-30th.
Four Irish Major Champions – Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy - will compete at Carton House along with Carton’s Touring Professional, Shane Lowry, a host of Tour winners and Ryder Cup stars plus 2014 captain Paul McGinley, creating a superb platform for the event’s return to the Republic of Ireland after a visit to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland last year.
The atmosphere ‘outside the ropes’ promises to be equally impressive.
The European Tour has also announced two unique initiatives which are certain to add to the party mood and engage with the spectactors attending Ireland’s biggest golf event of the year, and also the thriving local communities within easy reach of Carton House.
The Tour has unveiled plans to transform the 17th hole into a rousing ‘spectator stadium’, with an imposing grandstand seating almost 1,500 fans enveloping the picturesque 176 yard, par three, penultimate hole of the Montgomerie Course, where fans can cheer or even jeer the shots from the famous names, as they watch all of the drama unfold.
There will also be a big screen showing play and scores from the rest of the course throughout the day, ensuring fans can keep up with all of the action.
The hole will be re-named ‘Open House at 17’’ for the duration of the tournament, with the principal aim of creating a special Irish atmosphere at one of the critical holes in the closing stretch at Carton House.
Another unique concept is the Three Towns Initiative - part of a wide range of features aimed at ensuring that the Irish Open becomes a great festival, not just in terms of golf but also the manner in which it involves the wider community including the towns of Maynooth, Leixlip and Celbridge.
Additionally, three former Irish Open champions have all agreed to become Ambassadors for each of the three towns for the duration of the tournament.
Australian Brett Rumford, the 2004 Irish Open champion and a two-time winner on The European Tour in 2013, will represent Maynooth; Richard Finch of England, the 2008 winner, be the ambassador for Celbridge while 2010 champion Ross Fisher, also of England, will join forces with Leixlip.
The combined population of Maynooth, Celbridge and Leixlip and their environs is around 50,000 people, with all three towns located between two and three miles from the front gate at Carton House.
A range of initiatives are underway to ensure that there is a ‘Cead Mile Fáilte’ for players, sponsors, media, golf enthusiasts, casual visitors and those who live, work or visit the area to share in the excitement and sense of occasion.
Antonia Beggs, Championship Director of the Irish Open, said: “The European Tour is delighted to announce those two exciting new initiatives which we believe will add to the sense of fun and enjoyment both on the golf course and in the immediate vicinity of Carton House, engendering a wonderful sense of community spirit to complement world class sport.
“After the success of the Irish Open in recent years, including last year’s sell-out at Royal Portrush, we felt this tournament was the perfect vehicle to tap into Ireland’s well known sense of fun and community. I’m sure the Irish golf fans will get behind these enterprises and make them hugely successful.
“We recently announced a programme events for ‘Super Saturday’ incorporating the British and Irish Lions rugby on the big screens in the morning of June 29 followed by the third round of the tournament and the chance to see the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh in the evening. We are very excited about the ‘Open House at 17’initiative which is a first for The European Tour and one which we hope will create a truly special atmosphere at this year’s tournament.”
Tony Lenehan, Failte Ireland’s Head of Golf Tourism said: “We are delighted with the response from businesses and the public in our ‘three towns of the Irish Open’ – Leixlip, Celbridge and Maynooth. We all want the Kildare region to be portrayed in the best positive light to visitors, media and participants during the Irish Open.”
Shane Lowry, Touring Professional for Carton House, said: “This is great news. Irish golf has never been stronger with four Major Champions in our midst and I would encourage everyone living nearby to come along and enjoy the atmosphere and be part of a fantastic event which will be made even more special by the 17th hole initiative.”
Peter Minnock, Director of Services for Kildare County Council and the driving force behind the Three Towns Initiative along with Carton House Managing Partner, Conor Mallaghan, is equally thrilled to be part of the campaign for 2013.
He said: “We want to provide a compelling reason for people living close to Carton House to come along to the Irish Open and be part of a wonderful experience.
“Many local residents may never have been to a golfing event of this nature and this initiative is aimed at enabling as many people as possible to see golf and the world’s best exponents of their craft at first hand, with a focus on youth, local residents and convenience.
“The coming together of the business community and public agencies to energise and support a common agenda is being used as the basis for the planning and preparation needed to make north Kildare a fertile venue for hosting the Irish Open.”
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