Dubai Duty Fee Sponsor Irish Open

European Tour

The European Tour announced that Dubai Duty Free will be the title sponsor of the 2015 Irish Open Hosted by The Rory Foundation.

Taking place at Royal County Down Golf Club from May 28 – 31, the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Hosted by the Rory Foundation will see World Number One Rory McIlroy play the role of tournament host on behalf of his charitable foundation.

McIlroy is set to be joined by many of world golf’s most exciting names, with Rickie Fowler, Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood already confirmed to join Ireland’s golfing superstars McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Padraig Harrington and Ryder Cup Captain Darren Clarke.

McIlroy said: “It’s great news that Dubai Duty Free has come on board as the title sponsor for this year’s Irish Open. Dubai Duty Free is a strong global brand with great experience in sports sponsorship through golf, tennis and horse racing.

"The European Tour and I both have strong links to Dubai, and I am sure Dubai Duty Free will bring a lot to the event and add to its already great prestige.”

Rory McIlroy

One of the world’s leading airport retailers with a turnover of US$1.9 billion in 2014, Dubai Duty Free is already associated with The European Tour as sponsors of the DP World Tour Championship and the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, won at the Emirates Golf Club this year by McIlroy.

Dubai Duty Free’s golf portfolio also includes the Dubai Ladies Masters, as well as a series of high-profile events including the annual Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup, Dubai Duty Free UAE Nationals Cup, Dubai Duty Free Golf Cup and Dubai Irish Golf Society tournament.

Away from the fairways, Dubai Duty Free owns and stages the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, which reaches a global audience of over 400 million TV viewers and generates media exposure of US$718 million. A keen supporter of horseracing, the operation is probably best known in Ireland for its sponsorship of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, one of Ireland’s most prestigious races which is held at the Curragh Racecourse in June. This year marks the 150th running of this historical race. International horseracing has provided an excellent medium for Dubai Duty Free with the company also sponsoring the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup at Ascot and Dubai Duty Free Spring Trials and Dubai Duty Free International Raceday at Newbury.

Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman of Dubai Duty Free said, “Sports sponsorship plays a huge role in our overall marketing strategy, it fosters goodwill and allows our brand to travel all around the globe. We are delighted to become the title sponsor of the Irish Open hosted by The Rory Foundation. The tournament has a tremendous history and is the flagship golf event in Ireland providing thrilling golfing action for spectators, golf fans and television viewers around the world. This year’s tournament features a fantastic line up and we are very much looking forward to working with Rory McIlroy and his Foundation, The European Tour, Tourism Northern Ireland and the members and management of Royal County Down on this prestigious sporting event.”

Northern Ireland’s Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister, Arlene Foster, said: "I welcome the announcement that Dubai Duty Free is to become title sponsor of the Irish Open. The partnership with Dubai Duty Free will further raise the profile of the tournament when it takes place in Northern Ireland this year, and again in 2017, and will help to increase our reputation as a fantastic golfing destination. This sponsorship announcement is further proof that we are establishing Northern Ireland as the home of great events with which world class brands wish to be associated.”

George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour, said: “We are delighted to welcome Dubai Duty Free as a title sponsor on The European Tour and look forward to expanding our partnership with another powerful global brand which has vast experience in the sports sponsorship market.

“By becoming the title sponsor to the Irish Open, Dubai Duty Free is making its mark on golf’s world stage and further showcasing the close collaboration that exists between so many of Dubai’s leading companies and The European Tour. With many of the game’s biggest names competing on the iconic links of Royal County Down, we believe the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hosted by The Rory Foundation will deliver superb value to Dubai Duty Free and all of our event partners.”

More than 80,000 spectators are expected and tens of thousands of tickets have already been sold for the event, which is supported by Tourism Northern Ireland.

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Padraig Ready to Valspar It

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Padraig Harrington returns to action for the first time since his dramatic victory in the Honda Classic in this week’s Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club.

Harrington’s first win on a major worldwide tour since the 2008 USPGA Championship secured his return to the US Masters next month and lifted him back inside the world’s top 100, but did not get the Dubliner a place in the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral.

That at least allowed the 43-year-old three-time major winner the time to reflect on his victory, which came in a play-off with American rookie Daniel Berger after a double bogey on the 71st hole.

“It feels great to have won and now that I have done so I have allowed myself to think of the things that come with it, the Masters, the Players, WGC-Bridgestone and I am exempt for three years on the PGA Tour, but above all that the confidence a win brings,” Harrington explained this week.

“It has been tough at times but the last couple of months, with my two wins (he won in Indonesia in December), have made it worthwhile.

“I never doubted myself, I know a lot of people did and many asked me why I would do things differently, but then that wouldn’t be me.

“I don’t feel any different now that I have won, as I always felt that the win was around the corner.

“Little did I know that it was going to be a nearly seven-year corner and then, like buses, two come along one after the other.

“I feel that I have found the mental solution that I have been searching for and that I will kick on from here. I know that it won’t work all of the time, but that some of the time it is good enough.”

Harrington has been paired with world number two Jordan Spieth and former Masters champion Adam Scott for the first two rounds, Scott finishing joint fourth in the WGC-Cadillac Championship on Sunday in his first start of the season. Fellow AustralianJohn Senden is the defending champion.

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Harrington Not Down on Irish Open

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Padraig Harrington will be hoping to add a second Irish Open title to his glittering CV when he heads to Royal County Down for the Irish Open Hosted by the Rory Foundation in May.

The 43 year old returned to the winners’ enclosure last week when he triumphed at the Honda Classic on the US PGA Tour, in doing so rising from 297th to 82nd in the Official World Golf Ranking.

The impressively clinical performance at PGA National in Florida was reminiscent of Harrington’s halcyon days of 2007, when he won the Irish Open at Adare Manor Hotel and Golf Resort shortly before a period of domination in the Majors, during which he claimed back-to-back Open Championships and the US PGA Championship in little more than a year.

The popular Irishman ended a 25-year wait for a home winner at Adare Manor when he beat Welshman Bradley Dredge in a play-off, which was a fitting result after several near-misses, including when he was joint runner-up in 2001 and 2004 and tied fifth in 2005.

Harrington added another runner-up finish in 2010, and in 2012, when the tournament was played in Northern Ireland – at Royal Portrush – for the first time in its long history, he was tied seventh.

Three years on and the Irish Open is heading back north of the border, and the 14-time European Tour winner is relishing making his competitive debut at Royal County Down from May 28-31.

“The Irish Open is my fifth Major and always one of the first events on my schedule, for obvious reasons,” said Harrington, who was the European Tour Number One in 2006. “Whilst it is always a special week for me, this year will be interesting as it’ll be the first time I’ve played at Royal County Down as a professional, so I’m really looking forward to getting there and seeing how the course has been set up.

“The last time the Irish Open was played in Northern Ireland, at Royal Portrush in 2012, it was a huge success and I was glad to be in the mix on the final day. The crowds were similar to a Major and generated a great atmosphere, and I’m sure it will be well attended again at Royal County Down.

“It’s great to see Rory involved and supporting the tournament, and it looks like it’ll be one of the strongest fields the Irish Open has ever had. It’s shaping up to be a great week and I look forward to being part of it.”

Harrington will be joined at Royal County Down by a star-studded field, including tournament host and World Number One Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els, Lee Westwood, Rickie Fowler and defending champion Mikko Ilonen.

More than 80,000 spectators are expected and tens of thousands of tickets have already been sold for the event, which is supported by Tourism Northern Ireland.

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McIlroy Lacks Masters Confidence

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Rory McIlroy admitted he needs to feel more confident with his all-round game before he bids to complete a career grand slam at the Masters next month.

The world No 1 was at odds with his swing throughout the week in the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral, where he closed with a level-par 72 after hitting two balls into the water at the 18th.

McIlroy was forced to apologise for throwing his three-iron into a lake in disgust on Friday after pulling his second shot to the eighth, although he was reunited with the club ahead of his final round after Doral owner Donald Trump commissioned a diver to retrieve it.

The 25-year-old, who had played with 13 clubs on Saturday rather than the permitted 14, asked Trump "Is it dry?" before putting the club straight into his bag with a sheepish grin. He then told Trump he would give the club back following the tournament to be auctioned off for charity.

McIlroy jokingly threatened to dispose of the three-iron in the same fashion after tugging his third into the water at the last having already rinsed his drive.

He chipped in to salvage a double-bogey six which dropped him to one under for the tournament, eight shots behind champion Dustin Johnson, and McIlroy now has only one tournament on his schedule before he heads to Augusta National.

McIlroy will make his debut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in a fortnight, and he remains determined to get his game into shape before the first major of the season.

"The game's just not quite there. I've got a week off now to try and work on it a little bit," said McIlroy, who missed the cut at last week's Honda Classic. "I am pretty disappointed with how I played overall. I felt it was a little better again today for the most part but a bit of a disappointing finish. But it's just not quite 100 percent.

"My inability to hit the ball right-to-left isn't something that you want going into Augusta. It is something I want to try and work on a little bit.

"Statistically, I hit the ball better this week. Still it's just not quite as comfortable as I would like. I've got a week off now to try to work on the game a bit and get a little sharper for Bay Hill.

"I'm tentative, a little bit scared to play certain shots, because I feel like I can't at the minute. So, hitting away from flags, trying to make sure that I am missing it in the right areas. Just playing quite conservatively, which is very much unlike me.

"I have just got to get back at it and try to figure out what I need to do, but I have no concerns about that. It's not something I need to play my way out of. It's just something that I need to stand on the range and beat balls until I feel comfortable with it again."

McIlroy will play practice rounds at Augusta National next week with his father Gerry and some friends, including New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

"I'll just be trying to hit shots that I need," he added. "I'll be hitting a lot of draws, or trying to hit a lot of draws, anyway."

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Rory McIlroy Proves No Cadillac

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Rory McIlroy threw one of his clubs into a lake during his second round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship in Miami.

The Northern Irishman had just pulled his approach shot into the water on the par-five eighth hole - and sent his long iron after it in frustration.

McIlroy, 25, is attempting to recover from a first-round score of 73, which left him 11 shots off the lead.

His missed cut at last week's Honda Classic was his first since June 2014.

Inexcusable behaviour!

McIlroy had just recorded his third birdie of the day to get back to level par for the tournament when he pulled his approach to the par-five eighth - a hole he had eagled on Thursday - into the water.

And after a few seconds' thought the 25-year-old then hurled the offending club into the same stretch of water on his way to recording a six, his third bogey of the day.

McIlroy recovered to card a round of 70 to lie one under par.

"Frustration got the better of me," he told Sky Sports. "Following on from last week I feel like it's very close and to hit shots like that you get frustrated, but I shouldn't have did what I did.

"It all bottled up and had to let it go somehow and that's what happened. I don't feel good about doing it but I will hopefully have a new three iron on the way in the morning and be able to got out and play with another one.

"I wouldn't encourage kids at home to do the same thing."

It is not the first time McIlroy's frustrations have got the better of him. At the US Open in 2013 he apologised for throwing one club and leaning so hard on another during the final round that he bent the shaft out of shape.

And that came just months after he walked off the course midway through the second round of the Honda Classic, where he was defending champion, telling reporters he was in "a bad place mentally" before his management company issued a statement blaming toothache.

McIlroy missed the cut in the Honda Classic last week and struggled to an opening 73 at Doral, but looked to be getting back on track when he began his second round with two straight birdies.

However, the four-time major winner then bogeyed the third after driving into the water and three-putted the fourth before the frustrations of the course known as the 'Blue Monster' truly took their toll on the eighth.

McIlroy added on Sky Sports 4: "You can see I'm aiming left to try and cut it and it's been frustrating this week because the shots I want to cut I draw, and the shots I want to draw I cut. I'm just not quite there with the swing the way I want to and another ball in the water wasn't good.

"(I have) another couple of rounds just to try and find a little bit of rhythm. I'm a little behind at the minute but it seems like the scores are quite spread out so if I can get off to a decent start tomorrow you never know."

Shane Lowry finished one over after a second round of 74.

Graeme McDowell finished two over a second successive 73.

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