The rescheduled Dubai Duty Free Irish Open will be held at Galgorm Castle in Ballymena from September 24-27.
The event was originally due to be staged at Mount Juliet Estate in County Kilkenny in May, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event will now take place north of the border.
⛳️ We are delighted that the 2020 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open will be hosted at Galgorm Castle Golf Club and Galgorm Spa …
Posted by Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort on Friday, 14 August 2020
It will be the first time the venue has hosted The Open with the event moving into the date vacated by the rescheduling of The 2020 Ryder Cup to 2021.
With quarantine restrictions for travellers into the Republic of Ireland ongoing and the ban on mass gatherings, the European Tour made the decision to move the tournament to Northern Ireland where it will be subject to similar guidelines, including being played behind closed doors.
Planning remains on-going for the tournament to return to Mount Juliet in 2021.
Following the changes to the date and the venue, the 2020 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open will have a prize fund of €1.25 million and therefore will not be part of the Rolex Series. The European Tour will announce full plans for the Rolex Series in due course.
Keith Pelley, European Tour Chief Executive, said despite the obvious challenges of staging any event in the current circumstances, they felt it was important to continue with the tournament providing they could do so safely.
“With the ongoing restrictions in the Republic of Ireland, we opted to move the tournament to Northern Ireland and are extremely grateful to Gary Henry and everyone at Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort for stepping up to host us.
“I also want to thank Damien Gaffney and everyone at Mount Juliet, our original venue. Everyone at the Kilkenny course was ready to host the tournament this year until circumstances outside their control made that an impossibility. Hopefully, things will be different next year to allow us to return,” he added.
Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free, said the priority has been to stage an event that strictly follows all government protocols.
“We are pleased that the Galgorm Castle Golf Club in County Antrim has been selected as a suitable venue, with the Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort as the official accommodation. Without a doubt, the tournament will be different this year but we think that the players and fans are going to enjoy this return to world-class golf on the Island of Ireland,” he added.
Diane Dodds, Economy Minister in the Northern Ireland Executive, added: “It is wonderful to see top class golf return to Northern Ireland. After the success of the Open Championship at Royal Portrush last year and of recent Irish Opens in Portstewart, Royal County Down and Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland is proving once again that it is made for golf. I know it will be a huge success.”
Gary Henry, Managing Director Galgorm Castle, said they are delighted to be the host venue for the 2020 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.
“To host the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open is an historic moment and wonderful opportunity to showcase the world-class facilities at Galgorm and demonstrates that Northern Ireland is open for business. The Northern Ireland Open, supported by The R&A on the European Challenge Tour will also be played at Galgorm at the start of September and so the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open will be another welcome boost to the local economy,” he added.
Damien Gaffney, Director of Tetrarch Capital, said they will continue to work with the European Tour and put their energies into staging the event next year.
The Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort is the fourth time the tournament has been played in Northern Ireland since 2012.