Portmarnock has hosted the biggest amateur and professional tournaments held in Ireland. Seventy-five championships have been held from the first Irish Amateur Open in 1899 to the Irish Open in 2004.
The legendary Harry Vardon competed in 1899 having introduced the new grip which still bears his name, a new swing pattern and innovative stylish clothing of plus fours and tweed sports jacket. The first official Irish Open Championship was held in 1927 with a prize fund of £1,000. This was won by George Duncan who returned a final round score of 74 in atrocious weather conditions.
This was described as “the greatest round in the circumstances in the history of golf”. Henry Cotton finished as runner up, two shots off the pace. Ten years later Cotton was again runner up, this time to A.D.Locke of South Africa. In 1937 Jimmy Bruen and J.B.Carr played in the open for the first time.
After an interruption by war the open returned in 1946 when Fred Daly became the first Irish winner before going on to win the British Open in the following year. In 1948 the winner again in Portmarnock was Dai Rees and the event then lapsed until revived in 1975. In the following year the tournament returned to Portmarnock and was played here every year until 1983. After a short break it returned again in 1986 for a further five years.
The 1976 winner was Ben Crenshaw who was leading the US Tour money list at the time. With four holes to play Crenshaw led Billy Casper and Brian Barnes by three shots. He then played Arnold Palmer’s “best par three in the world” in a total of five shots with his lead reduced to one. After recovering to finish par, par, birdie for a two stroke birdie Crenshaw added his own description of the fifteenth – “the toughest par 5 I ever played”.
Bernhard Langer shot 67-68-66-68 in 1987 for a record shattering total of 279 beating the previous best by seven shots.
Other well known winners include Hubert Green, Ken Brown, Mark James, Sam Torrance. John O’Leary, Seve Ballesteros, Ian Woosnam and Jose Maria Olazabal.
The Amateur Championship of 1949 was staged in Portmarnock in 1949 – the only occasion on which was held outside Great Britain. The British Press grumbled about a “foreign Country” but Max MacCready of Ireland beat the great American Willy Turnesa in the final.
The Canada Cup, now known as the World Cup, was won by the U.S.pairing of Sam Snead and Arnold Palmer in 1960.
Portmarnock hosted the Walker Cup in 1991 when America triumphed by 14/10. Phil Mickelson and David Duval represented America, Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley played on the home side.
There are no tricks or nasty surprises, only an honest, albeit searching test of shot making skills."
Tom Watson 5 Time Open Champion
