Rory McIlroy and Dubai Duty Free combine to supercharge European Tour’s Irish Open

John McAuley breaks down the bigger, better Dubai Duty Free Irish Open which tees off in two weeks, bringing an upgraded tournament to the European Tour calendar.

Rory McIlroy shown on Sunday at TPC Sawgrass in Florida for The Players Championship. Richard Heathcote / Getty Images / AFP / May 10, 2015

The Dubai Duty Free Irish Open tees off two weeks from Thursday, with the former tournament, a fixture on the European Tour since 1975, experiencing a significant upgrade. Here are the details:

Headline act

Rory McIlroy, golf’s world No 1, now hosts the tournament, which carries the name of the Rory Foundation, the Northern Irishman’s own organisation designed to provide support for a number of childrens charities. Since McIlroy announced his involvement last September, the four-time major champion has been busy recruiting some of the game’s finest talents.

Star power

This month’s event, taking place at Royal County Down Golf Club, Northern Ireland, from May 28-31, has more world ranking points on offer than at any other time since the tournament’s inception. Five of the current top 20 are competing: McIlroy, Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer alongside American duo Rickie Fowler and Patrick Reed. Eight of the victorious 2014 European Ryder Cup side have entered. In all, the field comprises eight major champions and five players who have ascended to the rankings summit.

Dubai backing

The event now boasts a distinct association with the UAE, since Dubai Duty Free was announced as title sponsors in March. The company signed a one-year contract with the tournament, with an option to extend by two years should it prove a success. Consequently, the prize fund has been increased by 25 per cent to EU€2.5 million (Dh10.3m). The winner banks €416,660. Already, the final two rounds are sold out, with organisers expecting 80,000 spectators across the four days. Emirates airline, the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing and Jumeirah Golf Estates are also supporting the event.

The McIlroy factor

“We were approached by the European Tour a couple of years ago to consider supporting the Irish Open, but it didn’t really suit us at the time,” said Colm McLoughlin, the Dubai Duty Free executive vice chairman. “When Rory was here playing in the Desert Classic, he and his caddie JP [Fitzgerald] spoke to me, they explained what hosting entailed and it appealed to us. Rory’s involvement was an influencing factor.”

Playing for free

The professionals participating in the event have not asked for appearance fees, testament of McIlroy’s pulling power. In securing Ernie Els for the Irish Open, he has reportedly agreed to play in Els’s home tournament in South Africa at some stage in the future. “One of the toughest challenges in promoting and being involved in sporting events is who’s playing,” said Nick Tarratt, director at European Tour International Dubai office. “It’s an excellent model that a player becomes an ambassador, or host, and encourages in return reciprocal favours, otherwise fees can drain the resources of prize fund. It’s a brilliant concept and from someone aged 25 is an exceptional statement that hopefully will be followed by others. It’s a great model by the world No 1.”

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