Absolutely, bit of token money to the European tour while they continue to steal all the best European players over to the PGA tour.
I guess the European tour feel they either get more into bed with pga tour, fly solo or get into bed with liv. Flying solo and they’ll probably crash
Anything that hurts Liv is a good thing imo.
European Tour is now effectively The Korn Ferry Euro Edition.
Play well in the European Tour...secure a top 10 finish...move to the PGA and forget all about the DP World Tour.
They'd have been better off getting into bed with LIV.
Upcoming change in the World Rankings system will be the final nail in the coffin for the DPWT. I don't see why they had to remove the minimum points award for DPWT events when they were bringing in the other changes.
It is been like that for years. They just got there via world ranking points
When has it not been? Name one player in the last 10 years who turned down the PGA Tour after playing well on the European. Would Lucas Herbert be back at the Irish Open if he wasn't defending. I don't think he would.
There was no automatic PGA playing card though, now it's straight in with a card. Lot's of well performing ET players would not gain a PGA Card as they still had to commit to ET events and did not gain enough PGA points to earn card
Exactly! Now that the full PGA tour card is guaranteed to the top 10 who don't already have it...they can sail into the sunset and forget about the DP World Tour...for one year at least.
..and they will, and who could blame them, the money is vastly different and the weather, oh the weather
The money will be a lot more than the KFT though do you might get more Americans chancing the ET instead. Still a feeder tour, but it has been for years now and has really gone to the dogs since covid
At 10over I’m not too surprised at Padraig missing the cut, but JT on the same score!!!
Watching the Scottish open really makes you realise how we are missing a trick by not having the Irish open on links.
The desert swing is in winter time, you have the florida swing for another example leading up to the Players, we could be part of the links swing in july. Such a missed opportunity
Missed opportunity for who?
It was on a links for many years, was it any better?
Yes, hugely, Rahm won it twice, he doesn't want to come to Ireland to play parklands
There must be an opportunity to do so, as the Irish Open exit survey asked which courses you would like to see the Irish Open at and Lahinch, Portstewart, County Down and one other links course were options, Adare was there too.
Why? He's happy enough to play parklands in the US, what's wrong with here?
Reality is the links courses and their members don't want it also the players don't want to play 3 links tournaments in succession.
The players want the links practice ahead of the open and while they might not play all 3 tournaments in a row. Look at all the pictures of the players playing ballybunion, tralee and other courses this week. They want links practice.
Looking at recent irish tournaments, the last 3 all had Strength of Field in the low-mid 100s. When it was on links in the 3 previous, Strength of Field was between 200-300. When it was a royal county down, SOF was north of 300. The only time a parkland in the last 10 years has had a SOF above 200 was 2016 when Rory got all the buddies to come over to watch him win in the kclub.
The best golfers in the world want to play links ahead of The Open. It's obvious
Obviously being a Rolex event helped too, but if it's a links every year two weeks before the Open, you can guarantee the field will be a hell of a lot better than currently.
Plenty of players don't like to play the week before a major, so for those the Irish Open on a links two weeks before would be perfect prep.
Mcllroy was able to get a few stars from the US by asking for favours, they never played an irish open for practice. I remember watching Rickie Fowler is County Down, thermals, gloves and 2 hats, said to a few that he isn't coming back and he hasn't!
Might move to the week after the open next year and I think that would be a good move.
Do links clubs want to host an Irish open?
Have ballybunion, tralee, baltry etc come forward and offered their club/course to the organisers?
Maybe they don't want to host it?
Honest question.
Would it really increase income to many clubs that have already very full timesheets?
Back to the K Club anyway I believe next year
They don’t, apparently, such a shame, even lesser know tracks like Ballyliffin is better than Mt Juliet
which players want to play links competition. Different playing different links courses over a few days than 5 days on same course with lots of media attention and asks to do.
After the British open unless you give them a bigger than normal wheelbarrow they’re going home back across the Atlantic
Does anyone got names or is it just hearsay
Love to see Ricky qualify for The Open, strong day today required
James Sugrue is the latest player to have his golf clubs go missing at an airport. However it has done him no harm so far.
He got a lend of a set from Mikko Illonen and shot 7 under to take a 1 shot lead on the Challenge Tour.
That's crazy to think he'd do that with borrowed clubs, shows how good those guys are now that you can hand them anything and they can score well. Not like most of us here that think the clubs are the problem every weekend 🤣
Would they not be able to just get another set of the tour truck on site? Sure there at most events.
Probably no tour trucks at challenge tour events.
He may hold onto those clubs, 4 under through 9 holes!
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