for the 2019 Irish Open The first Irish Open in 1927 was played at
Portmarnock Golf Club from 16 to 18 August. There were 18 holes played on the first two days with the leading 60 players and ties playing a further 36 holes on the final day. In a stiff breeze local professional
Willie Nolan led after the first day with a course record 72. On the second day Nolan faded after an 83 and the lead was taken by
Henry Cotton on 146 with
Jack Smith a shot behind. The cut was 165 and exactly 60 players qualified, including 6 amateurs. Conditions were very poor on the final day with the refreshment and press tents blown down and rain falling in torrents. Jack Smith had an excellent 77 in the morning and with Henry Cotton taking 86, Smith had an eight-shot lead over Cotton and
Archie Compston. Smith, however, went to pieces and had a final round of 91 and was overtaken by Cotton, who took 81.
George Duncan, starting the final round 14 shots behind, scored 74 and finished with a total of 312, beating Smith by three and Cotton by one. Duncan's score of 74 was remarkable in that it was only two strokes over the new course record, on a day when his 74 and Smith's 77 in the morning were the only two rounds under 80 on the final day. Duncan took the Championship Gold Medal and the first prize of £150. Nolan was the leading Irishman, finishing fifth. After Duncan's win in 1927, the event was dominated by English golfers, the only other non-English winner before
World War II being
Bobby Locke in 1938.
Ernest Whitcombe won in 1928, the first of four wins by the Whitcombe brothers; Ernest won again in 1935 while
Charles won in 1930 and
Reg won in 1936. Ernest Whitcombe had rounds of 68 and 69 on the first two days of the 1928 event, to take a seven stroke lead. Rounds of 73 and 78 on the final day were enough to give him a four stroke victory. The matches followed the same form as the
England–Scotland Professional Match that had been played just before the
Open Championship. After his playoff loss in 1935,
Reg Whitcombe won in 1936, two ahead of
Bill Davies who was a runner-up for the third time. Whitcombe had final day rounds of 68 and 69 for a record low total of 281. Since 1963
Carroll's had sponsored a major tournament, the
Carroll's International at
Woodbrook Golf Club, which had been a
European Tour event since the tour started in 1972. For the
1975 European Tour season the Carroll's International was dropped and Carroll's became the sponsor of the revived Irish Open, which took its place on the tour and was played at Woodbrook in the first year.
Christy O'Connor Jnr became the third Irish winner, finishing one ahead of
Harry Bannerman, and took the first prize of £5,000. The Irish Open was one of the
European Tour Rolex Series events form 2017–2020. The Rolex Series started in 2017, with each tournament in the series having a minimum prize fund of $7 million. During this period, the date was moved to early July, two weeks before
The Open Championship. It is currently held in early September. From 2014 to 2022 (except in 2016), it was one of the Open Qualifying Series with the leading three players who have not already qualified and who finish in the top ten, qualifying for The Open Championship. ==Venues==