FOTA ISLAND is to stage this year's £100,000 Smurfit Irish Professional Championship in which Des Smyth will be defending the title. The organisers have also been decided to hold the event on October 9th to 12th, for a combination of reasons.
In recent years, the championship has filled a fixture slot in early May, opposite to the Italian Open. But it was unsuitable to the sponsors on this occasion, so forcing the PGA Irish Region to consider other dates.
"We looked at a vacant European Tour week in April but considered it too early for an Irish course," said Patrick Bradshaw of the Irish Region. "There was also the problem of Ryder Cup commitments by our leading players and the difficulty of gaining European Tour releases.
It seems that the October option has met with general approval, judging by the response from prospective challengers Padraig Harrington, Paul McGinley, Darren Clarke, Philip Walton and Raymond Burns, quite apart from Smyth. And the choice of venue fits with a sponsorship policy which has seen the championship move from The K Club to Galway Bay, Belvoir Park and Slieve Russell in recent years.
Designed by Christy O'Connor Jnr and Peter McEvoy, Fota Island was officially opened in 1994 and soon became the established venue for the Irish Amateur Open Strokeplay Championship which was won by Harrington in 1995 and by Keith Nolan last year. It has also played host to the Irish Club Professional Championship, won by David Jones in 1995.
