The Women's Irish Open will be held at Dromoland Castle as it returns to the Ladies European Tour for the first time in a decade.
The €400,000 event will take place at the prestigious Clare parkland course from September 22-25, with the support of the Irish government and Clare County Council, and it marks the first women's pro golf event in the Republic of Ireland since 2012.
The Women's Irish Open was held 15 times between 1994 and 2012 and was won by some of Europe's top golfers, including Norway’s Suzann Pettersen, Sweden’s Sophie Gustafson, England’s Laura Davies and, most recently, by the 2021 Solheim Cup winning Captain, Scotland’s Catriona Matthew, at Killeen Castle.
The course and accompanying practice facilities are currently undergoing a €2 million upgrade.
Speaking recently, new PGA Tour winner Leona Maguire expressed her delight that the tournament was returning this year.
“I’m delighted to hear that the Women’s Irish Open is returning, and no doubt it will help create a platform to inspire more young girls to try golf," said Maguire.
And rising star Olivia Mehaffy said that she couldn't wait to compete in the event. That’s extremely high on my list," said Mehaffy.
"It’s important to me personally. Having this Irish Open is something I’ve wanted for so long, since we stopped having one.
"I never got to play in it as an amateur. It’s very high up on the list of events that I really hope I would be at."
Alexandra Armas, Chief Executive of the Ladies European Tour, said: “We are delighted to see the Women’s Irish Open return to the LET Schedule in 2022.
"It is our objective that all the players who want to come and play on the LET can make a living from golf. This means more tournaments, bigger prize funds as well as increased TV coverage.
"We are grateful to Dromoland Castle and the Irish government for their support in enabling the Women’s Irish Open return to the LET in 2022 after a 10-year absence.
"2022 is already a record-breaking season for the LET in terms of the greatest number of tournaments and prize money in our 44-year history and will no doubt be further enhanced by what we expect to be a very popular stop for the Irish Open at the incredible Dromoland Castle.”
Mark Nolan, Managing Director at Dromoland Castle added: “We are absolutely thrilled that Dromoland Castle will play host to this year’s Women’s Irish Open.
"The return of women’s professional golf to Ireland is hugely important to the further development of women’s golf in Ireland. All of us at Dromoland Castle are delighted to be able to support women’s golf and look forward to extending our legendary hospitality and showcasing the estate’s world class facilities to Europe’s top golfers.
"At Dromoland, we are also continuously striving to improve our environmental practices and are delighted to confirm that our aim is to deliver the most green and sustainable tournament in Ireland.”
Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin said, “My department is engaged in various sport schemes that advocate for the development of women’s sport.
"I am delighted, as part of that commitment, to be able to support the return of the Women’s Irish Open.
"Golf provides an important sporting opportunity for people right across Ireland whilst also making a significant contribution to tourism. Prior to Covid, more than 200,000 international visitors came to play each year.
"We are hoping to see an increased number of golfers returning to play in Ireland in 2022, as we hopefully emerge from the pandemic.
"The staging of world-class events are important for the development of high performance sport and as a valuable promotional tool.
"I am delighted to support Dromoland Castle’s commitment to Irish golf in committing to stage the Women’s Irish Open and know that their golf facilities and hospitality will showcase the very best of what Ireland has to offer.”
And Golf Ireland CEO Mark Kennelly commented: “The promotion of female participation is a key strategic goal for Golf Ireland.
"We are delighted that the Women’s Irish Open is returning this year and believe that the event at Dromoland Castle will be a fantastic showcase for women’s sport.”
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