Press Release

PORTMARNOCK LINKS TO HOST THE
LADIES IRISH OPEN IN JULY

Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links is to host the AIB Ladies Irish Open, from July 11 to 13 this year.
The championship, with a prize fund of €450,000, will be the only major women’s professional golf tournament in the world played on a natural ‘links’ golf course in 2008.
The Links at Portmarnock was selected as a result of the overwhelmingly positive response to the Women’s British Open being played on St Andrews Links in 2007.
It will also be the first major championship to be played on what was once the Jameson family's private golf course. It was first developed in 1858, and is one of the earliest courses in Ireland.
Bernhard Langer incorporated part of the original lay-out in his design of the 7,000 yard championship links, which opened for play in 1995.
The use of dunes and natural terrain should please even the most ardent links purists.
Speaking at today’s announcement, Ireland's Minister for Arts, Sport, and Tourism, Seamus Brennan said:
“We are delighted to be supporting the 2008 AIB Ladies Irish Open through the Fáilte Ireland Sports Tourism Initiative in what is a wonderful links venue. Having built up our golfing product to world-class standards, we are vigorously promoting Ireland as a golfing and holiday destination of choice.
"The event will present an opportunity to showcase not only our golfing product but our entire tourism offering on a world stage and will place Ireland once more in the International spotlight in the run up to our staging of the 2011 Solheim Cup.
"This initiative is designed to attract major sporting events that can showcase Ireland as a major sports tourist destination, events which have the ability to generate international media coverage and bring economic benefit to all the regions of Ireland."
“We have always wanted to showcase our magnificent links championship golf course and hotel internationally and what better way to do this than with the most important women’s event in Irish golf, the AIB Ladies Irish Open,” said Moira Cassidy, Director of Golf, Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links.
The AIB Ladies Irish Open will attract some of the best young players in the world, including the LPGA in the USA and the Ladies European Tour, with full details to be announced in the coming weeks.
Details of the AIB Ladies Irish Open - Club Challenge were also announced today. The competition will give club lady members across Ireland the opportunity to play alongside some of the best female golfers in the world in the AIB Ladies Irish Open Pro-Am in July.