Golf Channel · Jul 26, 2016
McIlroy happy Irish Open returning to Northern Ireland
SPRINGFIELD, N.J. – The Dubai Duty Free Irish Open is heading to Portstewart Golf Club next year, and the tournament’s host couldn’t be happier.
The venue shift means a return to Northern Ireland, birthplace of Rory McIlroy who won the event this summer at The K Club. The tournament was also held in Northern Ireland in 2012 at Royal Portrush and again at Royal County Down in 2014.
For McIlroy, whose charitable foundation hosts the event, it’s a welcome change.
“I’m really excited about it,” McIlroy said at the PGA Championship. “We’ve been working hard with the European Tour over the last couple years to try and find suitable venues and a suitable date for the Irish Open.”