TOUR NEWS: MOST OF the I's have been dotted and the T's crossed for next year's PGA European Tour schedule with just a little unfinished business, one of which is the venue for the Irish Open – which has a plum date on June 28th-July 1st, three weeks before the British Open – remaining to be confirmed.
But official confirmation is expected over the coming days that the tournament, still without a title sponsor, will be returning to Carton House in Maynooth, Co Kildare, for the first time in six years.
Killarney Golf Fishing Club – which played host to the tournament for the past two years – had put itself into the mix to stage it for a third year.
However, the European Tour made contact last Friday to inform the club that they would not be hosting it in 2012 with, it is believed, a move back to the Dublin region considered more likely in an attempt to attract sponsorship.
Carton House, which last played host in 2006 when Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn won, and Killeen Castle, host venue for the Solheim Cup won by Europe this year, had emerged as the two frontrunners.
The official schedule for next year was released by the European Tour yesterday with just a small number of courses yet to be confirmed, most notably the Irish Open, the Madrid Masters and the HSBC Champions event in China.
The 2012 schedule – starting with the Africa Open on January 5th-8th and ending with the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai on November 22nd-25th – currently features 46 confirmed tournaments on five continents, emphasising the global nature of the European Tour, and there is the prospect of a number of other events being added.
In the latest world rankings, Rory McIlroy – who is on a break until kick-starting his new season at Abu Dhabi in late-January – has slipped to third, with Lee Westwood, impressive winner of the Thailand Championship, leap-frogging the Ulsterman into the number two spot.
The final world rankings of the year were significant in that Japanese teenager Ryo Ishikawa has dropped out of the top-50, depriving him of an early invite to the Masters at Augusta.
He has until the end of March to reclaim his place in the top-50 to earn a place in the field.
Luke Donald, who topped both the European Tour and US Tour money lists in a history-making feat this season, has fended off the challenges of US Open champion McIlroy and British Open champion Darren Clarke to claim the Golf Writers’ Trophy (AGW) to add to his European Tour player of the year accolade.
Donald finished ahead of McIlroy and Clarke – who shared second place – in the voting, with the European Solheim Cup team, winners at Killeen Castle, in fourth place and the Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team in fifth.
“What Luke Donald has achieved this year is unbelievable. I’m full of admiration for him. And for Rory to win the US Open like he did and so young shows what a fantastic talent he is. Both would be worthy winners of the Golf Writers Trophy,” said Clarke.
Meanwhile, another English player, Tom Lewis, has won the Rookie of the Year on the European Tour. Although he only turned professional after the Walker Cup, 20-year-old Lewis won the Portuguese Masters in October in just his third outing as a professional.
It was the quickest victory by an affiliate member in European Tour history.
Lewis – who has Irish Timescolumnist Colin Byrne on his bag – had earlier in the season shot an opening 65 in the first round of the British Open, the lowest round by an amateur in its history.
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