Northern Ireland Open (golf)
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Ballymena, Northern Ireland |
| Established | 2010 |
| Course(s) | Galgorm Castle Golf Club |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 7,105 yards (6,497 m) |
| Tour(s) | Challenge Tour PGA EuroPro Tour Clutch Pro Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | £250,000 |
| Month played | July |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 265 Ryan Fox (2016) 265 Calum Hill (2018) |
| To par | −19 as above |
| Current champion | |
 Conor Purcell | |
| Location map | |
  Galgorm Castle GC Location in Northern Ireland | |
The Northern Ireland Open is a professional golf tournament currently played on the Challenge Tour. It was played for the first time in June 2010 on the PGA EuroPro Tour at Galgorm Castle Golf Club in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. It also featured on the Clutch Pro Tour schedule from 2021 to 2023.
History
[edit]The tournament was founded in 2010 and featured on the PGA EuroPro Tour schedule.[1] James Hepworth won the inaugural event.[2]
In 2013, the event became part of the Challenge Tour schedule.[3]
In 2017, the event was changed from 72 holes of stroke play to a "Super 6" style format. The format was similar to that used for the World Super 6 Perth. The main difference was that the 6-hole matches were determined by stroke play rather than match play. It retained the 156-player field, with the cut being made at the top-60 and ties after 36 holes. After 54 holes, the field was cut to a fixed 24. Ties for 24th place were determined by a sudden-death playoff. There were then five six-hole knock-out rounds on the final day. The leading eight after 54 holes received a bye in the first round. The remaining 16 were randomly paired. The six holes used on the final day were 17, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 18. There were a number of other matches for the minor places.[4]
In 2018, the event reverted to 72-hole stroke-play.
The 2020 event returned to the Challenge Tour as the Northern Ireland Open with backing from The R&A.[5] The tournament was played on the Clutch Pro Tour between 2021 and 2023,[6] with the event returning to the Challenge Tour schedule in 2024.[7] It was later confirmed in June 2024 that the Black Desert Resort in Utah (host of the Black Desert Championship on the PGA Tour) would become the title sponsor of the event.[8]
Winners
[edit]| Year | Tour(s)[a] | Winner | Score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Desert NI Open | ||||||
| 2024 | CHA | Conor Purcell |
267 | −13 | 1 stroke |  Joakim Lagergren
|
| Northern Ireland Open | ||||||
| 2023 | CPT |  Brandon Robinson-Thompson |
201 | −9 | 3 strokes | Daniel Smith
|
| 2022 | CPT |  Dermot McElroy |
205 | −8 | 7 strokes | Tim Rice
|
| 2021 | CPT | John Murphy |
135 | −5 | 4 strokes | Dermot McElroy
|
| 2020 | CHA |  Tyler Koivisto |
267 | −13 | 2 strokes |  Kristian Krogh Johannessen
|
| 2019: No tournament | ||||||
| Galgorm Resort & Spa Northern Ireland Open | ||||||
| 2018 | CHA |  Calum Hill |
265 | −19 | 1 stroke | Scott Henry Stuart Manley
|
| 2017 | CHA |  Robin Sciot-Siegrist |
20[b] | −3 | 2 strokes |  Alessandro Tadini
|
| Tayto Northern Ireland Open | ||||||
| 2016 | CHA |  Ryan Fox |
265 | −19 | 4 strokes |  Dominic Foos Dylan Frittelli Max Orrin Bernd Ritthammer
|
| Northern Ireland Open | ||||||
| 2015 | CHA | Clément Sordet |
267 | −17 | 1 stroke | John Hahn
|
| Northern Ireland Open Challenge | ||||||
| 2014 | CHA | Joakim Lagergren |
271 | −13 | 1 stroke | Adrien Bernadet
|
| 2013 | CHA |  Daan Huizing |
271 | −13 | Playoff | Oliver Wilson
|
| Ulster Bank Open | ||||||
| 2012 | EPT | Paul Reed |
204 | −12 | 1 stroke | Elliot Saltman George Woolgar
|
| Galgorm Castle Northern Ireland Open | ||||||
| 2011 | EPT | Chris Hanson |
202 | −14 | Playoff | Graeme Clarke
|
| 2010 | EPT | James Hepworth |
201 | −15 | Playoff |  Daniel Gaunt
|
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ CHA − Challenge Tour; CPT − Clutch Pro Tour; EPT − PGA EuroPro Tour.
- ^ The 2017 event used a knockout format. This is the score in the final.
References
[edit]- ^ "Galgorm Castle reveal details of EuroPro PGA event". BBC Sport. 15 March 2010. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ "James Hepworth takes Galgorm EuroPro win after play-off". BBC Sport. 25 June 2010. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ "Challenge Tour returns to Northern Ireland". Belfast Telegraph. 1 March 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ "Shootout Sunday". NI Open. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
- ^ "Northern Ireland Open added to 2020 Challenge Tour schedule". Irish Golfer. 17 July 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ "Murphy and O'Rourke hit the front at Clutch Pro Tour's NI Open". Irish Golfer. 14 June 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
- ^ "Northern Ireland Open returns to Challenge Tour schedule". European Tour. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
- ^ "Black Desert Resort announced as NI Open title sponsor". Irish Golfer. 11 June 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2024.