The winner of next month's Irish Open will receive a €1 million bonus if they progress to win the BMW Championship at Wentworth a week later.

The golfer who completes this unique double will win €2,141,660 in total.

A first prize of €416,660 is on offer to the highest placed finisher in the Irish Open while the BMW Championship winner pockets €725,000.

The prize fund for this year's Irish Open is already up some €300,000 on last year's purse when Denmark's Thomas Bjorn won at Carton House.

Historically the two tournaments have been played in different months and therefore no player has won the titles back to back.

Seve Ballesteros (1983), Bernhard Langer (1987) and Ian Woosnam (1988) have, however, all captured
the titles in the same season.

Adare Manor will play host to the Irish Open for the first time on May 17th-20th.

The tournament is sandwiched between the Players Championship in the United States, which takes place the previous week, and Wentworth the following week.

Tom Kane, Proprietor of Adare Manor Hotel & Golf Resort, said: "I have no doubt that this bonus prize fund will help encourage even more of the world's top players to participate at Adare Manor.

"I am delighted that we now have in place a mutually beneficial association with an event as prestigious as the BMW PGA Championship and I firmly believe it reinforces our commitment to creating a new and improved brand for the Irish Open."

European Tour chief executive George O'Grady said the bonus potential adds "extra spice to two outstanding weeks of golf in Ireland and England."