The Irish Open will return to Mount Juliet in Kilkenny in 2022, held between June 30th and July 3rd as part of the new DP World Tour.
This is a rebrand that will see the European Tour name no longer in use from the start of the new season at the Joburg Open later this month.
DP World is to become the new sponsor of the Tour, guaranteeing a prize fund of $2 million dollars for each tournament on the schedule.
The tour will feature a minimum of 47 tournaments across 27 countries, including events in the United Arab Emirates, Japan, and South Africa.
There will be three co-sanctioned events with the PGA Tour - the Scottish Open, the Barracuda Championship, and the Barbasol Championship.
DP World, which is based in Dubai, is described by the European Tour as 'the leading provider of global smart end-to-end supply chain and logistics solutions'.
The 2022 Irish Open will be staged in advance of the JP McManus Pro-AM at Adare Manor.
Australian Lucas Herbert claimed this year's national championship, which has been won in the past by Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, and Padraig Harrington.
Whether this development signals the end for a proposed global Tour backed by Saudi Arabia remains to be seen.
Regarding the rebrand, Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour group, said:
“Today’s announcement is undoubtedly a momentous one in the proud history of our Tour. The launch of the DP World Tour in 2022, coinciding with both of our 50th anniversaries, will herald a new era in global golf, and crucially it will benefit everybody involved – all our players, caddies, fans and partners – as well as making an important contribution to wider society.“The entire ecosystem of our Tour will be strengthened because of this hugely significant deal, and that was essential to us and to DP World, who have been an incredible supporter of our Tour as well as golf more widely, from grassroots through to the elite professional game.“The DP World Tour is, therefore, a natural evolution of our decade-long partnership, and the presence of ‘World’ in our new title better reflects our global reach.”
The Irish Open has been in rotation between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in recent years.
Mount Juliet also hosted the Irish Open between 1993 and 1995.
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