Golf: As the recession continues to bite, the Irish Open is feeling the pinch after losing its title sponsor for next year. The telecommunications provider 3 has opted not to continue their support of the event after a two-year association.
The company had been expected to sponsor the Irish Open for at least one more staging after committing to a three-year deal in 2009. Instead, they have decided to “streamline” their sponsorship portfolio and will focus instead on the Irish soccer team.
"Following two successful years sponsoring the Irish Open and approximately €8 million worth of investment, 3 today confirmed that it will not be renewing its sponsorship of the Irish Open for a third year," the company said in a statement.
"Following a review of its sponsorship portfolio, a decision was taken to streamline activities. 3 believes its support of the Irish football team will deliver the most commercial value for the brand into the future.”
Quite where the announcement leaves the Irish Open is unclear at this stage, but it is not good news for an event that has had its ups and downs over the years and bounced around the European Tour schedule.
Without a major prize fund – 3 were able to put €3 million into the kitty for the last two years– the event could lose its prestigious date over the August Bank Holiday weekend. But fears over the long-term future of the event are likely to prove unfounded with Fáilte Ireland remaining committed to Ireland’s national open.
“It’s disappointing, but we’ll be sitting down with the European Tour to review the situation,” said a Fáilte Ireland spokesman. “From our point of view, we see the Irish Open as one of our flagship events, not just as a destination for golf but to showcase Ireland as a beautiful and welcoming country.
“This year’s event was a great success. We had 80,000 fans in Killarney and the pictures were beamed into 395 million households around the world. As a marketing platform for Ireland, that’s hard to beat.”