Irish Open to remain an attractive proposition despite change of date in the golfing calendar

The Irish Open may not yet have a venue or a sponsor and will be staged a week earlier than its slot in the calendar for the past two seasons – immediately following the US Open at Pinehurst.

But the continued commitment of Ireland’s four modern Major champions to the tournament – along with the R&A’s decision to award places in the field for the British Open at Hoylake – should make it an attractive proposition wherever it is ultimately staged.

In a subtle switch of dates with the BMW International in Munich, the Irish Open will take place on June 19th-22nd 2014 – a week earlier on the schedule than 2012 and this year – and will mean Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke will jet back across the Atlantic following their endeavours in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Pádraig Harrington, as things stand, is no longer exempt for the US Open.

The PGA European Tour yesterday announced its international schedule, which actually starts with next week's South African Open. The schedule features 48 tournaments in 26 destinations around the globe with four events – the Irish Open, the Russian Open, the Spanish Open and the Volvo World Matchplay – yet to have their host courses determined.

The favourite
The O'Meara course at Carton House has been considered the favourite to host the 2014 edition of the Irish Open but the recent purchase of Fota Island by its new Chinese owners has also opened the possibility of a return to the Co Cork resort, which last played host in 2002.

The switch in dates with the the BMW International shouldn't unduly affect the quality of the field, given the commitment of the Irish Major champions. For example, this year's BMW International, which followed the US Open, had a field that included Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garica and eventual winner Ernie Els.

One big plus for the Irish Open in terms of attracting strength in depth for next year’s tournament is the decision of the R&A to scrap the annual international qualifying for the British Open and to restructure the qualification system for golf’s oldest Major championship.

The Irish Open, the French Open and the Scottish Open are the chosen events in Europe which will offer non-exempt players (who finish in the top-10) a place in the field for the Open at Royal Liverpool.

The host venue for the Irish Open is expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks. There is also speculation that the Volvo World Matchplay – won by Graeme McDowell in Bulgaria earlier this season – and traditionally held at Wentworth, will return to the London area. It has been moved back to a date in October.

The European Tour has also addressed a problem in the calendar which left regular tour players without any tournaments for much of August this year. Two new tournaments – the Made in Denmark and the D+D Real Czech Masters – have been added to the schedule. The Italian Open in Turin from August 28-31 is the last qualifying event for the Ryder Cup in Gleneagles in September.

Keith Waters, the Director of International Policy for the European Tour, said: “I am delighted with our 2014 schedule which perfectly showcases not only the renewed strength in depth of The European Tour, but also our influential global footprint.

“We have come through a challenging period economically and for that we must thank the continued commitment and dedication of our tournament promoters and sponsors, not only in our home continent of Europe, but throughout the world. ”

The 2014 European Tour begins next week with the 103rd e South African Open Championship in Johannesburg and travels across five continents before the curtain comes down once again with the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai from Nov 20th to 23rd 2014.

PGA EUROPEAN TOUR – INTERNATIONAL SCHEDULE

NOVEMBER 21-24
South African Open Championship Glendower GC, Gauteng, Johannesburg, SA
NOVEMBER 28- DECEMBER 1
Alfred Dunhill Championship Leopard Creek CC, Malelane, SA
DECEMBER 5-8
Nedbank Golf Challenge Gary Player CC, Sun City, SA
Hong Kong Open Hong Kong GC, Fanling, Hong Kong
DECEMBER 12-15
The Nelson Mandela Championship Mount Edgecombe CC, Durban, Kwa -Zulu Natal, SA 2014: JANU ARY 9-12
Volvo Golf Champions Durban CC, Durban
JANU ARY 16-19
Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship Abu Dhabi GC, Abu Dhabi, UAE
JANU ARY 22-25
Commercialbank Qatar Masters Doha GC, Doha, Qatar (Saturday finish)
JANU ARY 30-2 FEB
Omega Dubai Desert Classic Emirates GC, Dubai, UAE
FEBRUARY 6-9
Joburg Open Royal Johannesburg & Kensington GC, Johannesburg, SA
FEB 13-16
Africa Open East London GC, East London, Eastern Cape, SA
FEBRUARY 19-23
WGC — Accenture Match Play Ritz-Carlton GC, Dove Mountain, Marana, Arizona, USA
FEBRUARY 27- 2 MARCH
Tshwane Open Copperleaf Golf & Country Estate, Centurion, SA
MARCH 6-9
WGC- Cadillac Championship Doral Golf Resort & Spa, Doral, Florida, USA
MARCH 13-16
Trophee Hassan II Golf du Palais Royal, Agadir, Morocco
MARCH 20-23
TBC
MARCH 28-30
Eurasia Cup Glenmarie G&CC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
APRIL 3-6
TBC
APRIL 10-13
US Masters Tournament Augusta National, Georgia, USA
APRIL 17-20
Maybank Malaysian Open Kuala Lumpur G&CC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
APRIL 24-27
Volvo China Open Genzon GC, Shenzhen.
MAY 1-4
The Championship Blackstone GC, Icheon, Seoul, South Korea
MAY 8-11
Madeira Islands Open Clube de Golf Santo da Serra, Santo Antonio da Serra, Madeira
MAY 15-18
Open de Espana TBC
MAY 22-25
BMW PGA Championship Wentworth Club, Surrey, England
MAY 29-1 JUNE
Nordea Masters PGA Sweden National, Lake Course, Malmo, Sweden
JUNE 5-8
Lyoness Open Diamond CC, Atzenbrugg, near Vienna, Austria
JUNE 12-15
US Open Championship Pinehurst Resort, Pinehurst, North Carolina, USA
JUNE 12-15
Najeti Hotels et Golfs Open Aa St Omer GC, Lumbres, France
JUNE 19-22
The Irish Open TBC
JUNE 26-29
BMW International Open
Golf Club Gut Larchenhof, Cologne, Germany JULY 3-6
Alstom Open de France Le Golf National, Paris, France
JULY 10-13
Aberdeen Asset M'ment Scottish Open Royal Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland
JULY 17-20
British Open Championship Royal Liverpool GC, Hoylake, England
JULY 24-27
Russian Open TBC
JULY 31-AUG 3
WGC — Bridgestone Invitational Firestone GC, Akron, Ohio, USA
AUGUST 7-10
US PGA Championship Valhalla GC, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
AUGUST 14-17
Made In Denmark Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort, Denmark
AUGUST 21-24
D+D Real Czech Masters Albatross Golf Resort, Prague, Czech Republic
AUGUST 28-31
Italian Open Circolo Golf Torino — La Mandria, Fiano, Torino, Italy
SEPTEMBER 4-7
European Masters Crans-sur-Sierre GC, Crans Montana, Switzerland
SEPT 11-14
KLM Open Kennemer G&CC, Zandvoort, The Netherlands
SEPTEMBER 18-21
ISPS Handa Wales Open The Celtic Manor Resort, City of Newport, South Wales
SEPTEMBER 26-28
Ryder Cup Gleneagles, Scotland
OCTOBER 2-5
Alfred Dunhill Links Championship St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns
OCTOBER 9-12
Portugal Masters Oceanico Victoria GC, Vilamoura, Portugal
OCTOBER 16-19
Volvo World Match Play TBC
OCT 23-26
Perth International TBC
OCT 30-2 NOVEMBER
BMW Masters Lake Malaren GC, Shanghai, China
NOVEMBER 6-9
WGC — HSBC Champions Sheshan International GC, Shanghai, China
NOVEMBER 13-16
Turkish Airlines Open The Montgomerie Maxx Royal, Antalya, Turkey
NOVEMBER 20-23
DP World Tour Championship, Dubai Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai, UAE