Mount Juliet decision on Open disappoints Kilkenny

Martin Cullen: confirmed sponsorship for the Irish Open earlier this week

A DECISION by Mount Juliet management not to host the Irish Open next year has been greeted with disappointment in Kilkenny.

The chief executive of Kilkenny Chamber of Commerce, Alison McGrath, said the event would have been a huge boost for the county at a difficult time.

"From a business point of view it's very disappointing to hear the Open is not going to be hosted by Mount Juliet in 2009. They've done it in the past and it's been very successful for them," Ms McGrath said. Mount Juliet previously hosted the event on three occasions from 1993 to 1995, as well as staging two world golf championship events - the American Express - in 2002 and 2004.

A statement issued by management yesterday afternoon said: "Mount Juliet was initially approached by The PGA European Tour in mid October to ascertain if it would consider hosting The Irish Open Golf Championship, scheduled to take place in May 2009. It undertook to consider the request. Prior to the completion of Mount Juliet's assessment of the offer media reports indicated that it had agreed to host the tournament.

"Mount Juliet has just now completed a detailed assessment of the many complex factors involved in staging a major golf tournament and has, reluctantly, come to the decision that it is not feasible for it to host the tournament and thus, regrettably, is unable to accept the invitation from The PGA European Tour on this occasion. This decision is based on Mount Juliet's extensive existing contractual obligations at that time of year across the entire estate site, including the hotel, golf operations, property operations and Stud

Fine Gael's Kilkenny-based environment spokesman Phil Hogan said the news was disappointing.

"To have the Open would have meant an enormous boost for the local economy," he said. "It's a great disappointment."

Thomastown Labour councillor Michael O'Brien said: "It would have been a great boost for the local economy in every way. It will go down as a huge disappointment locally."

Earlier in the week, Minister for Sports Martin Cullen confirmed a sponsorship deal for the event had been finalised with the international mobile phone network 3.

A spokeswoman for the Minister last night said there were other location options for the Open. "There are a number of venues and a number of courses and Mount Juliet was one of a number of suitable options being explored," she said.

"As they themselves have said in their statement on this occasion, they are unable to accept the invitation from the PGA European Tour."

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times