Rather inevitably, given its reliance on team participation and on a large spectator attendance in its efforts to raise charitable funds, the JP McManus Pro-Am tournament, scheduled to take place at Adare Manor resort in Co Limerick on July 5th-6th, has been deferred for a year.
It is the second time the tournament has been postponed, after being impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic last year.
This year’s slot in the calendar had been timed to fit in nicely with the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, which is scheduled to take place at Mount Juliet in Co Kilkenny on July 1st-4th.
The McManus Pro-Am - which has commitments to participate from world number one Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods among other leading players - has been a hugely significant fundraiser for charities in the mid-west region since its inception in 1990 and, in five previous stagings, has raised almost €100 million for projects. It was last held in 2010.
With some 40,000 having purchased special spectator caps to attend the sixth edition of the tournament, the organisers felt “the smooth and safe running of the event would be better facilitated in 2022.”
As chairman of the pro-am committee Colm Hannon remarked, “we are at all times prioritising public health and are aware that question marks remain about events taking place for much of this year . . . . making the decision early gives us the best chance of delivering a world class tournament in front of a full house next year.”