County Louth Golf Club in Baltray, one of Ireland’s great links courses, will host the Nissan Irish Open for the first time in 2004. The tournament – the second year of Nissan’s sponsorship – will once again take place the week after the Open Golf Championship from July 22-25.

Portmarnock Golf Club staged the hugely successful Nissan Irish Open earlier this year, and the policy of venue rotation to promote Ireland’s major tourist attractions and golf courses means that the 2004 edition moves 30 miles further north along Ireland’s east coast to County Louth Golf Club, situated four miles from the historic town of Drogheda at the mouth of the River Boyne.

The Tom Simpson-designed course, frequently described as one of the country’s ‘hidden gems’, is rated in Golf Digest as one of the top 25 courses in Great Britain and Ireland and in the top six in Ireland.

The Nissan Irish Open has been played on many of Ireland’s finest courses with the rotation of the event allowing people from all over Ireland to experience this truly special event. Each year the Nissan Irish Open is televised to a worldwide audience of 290 million.

The Nissan Irish Open attracts huge numbers of spectators each year, with over 77,000 people attending the 2003 tournament at Portmarnock, where New Zealand’s Michael Campbell secured the title following a sudden-death play-off with Thomas Björn of Denmark and Sweden’s Peter Hedblom.

Ken Schofield, Executive Director of The European Tour, said: ‘We are delighted to visit another outstanding example of a great Irish links, with the wonderful course at County Louth Golf Club following on from this year’s successful return to Portmarnock.

‘We thank Gerard O’Toole, the Executive Chairman of Nissan Ireland and his team for their continued investment in the Nissan Irish Open and to Fáilte Ireland for their long-term support. We look forward to another superb Nissan Irish Open at Baltray next July.’

Welcoming the announcement, Gerard O’Toole, Executive Chairman, Nissan Ireland, said: ‘Moving the Nissan Irish Open to another top class links location like Baltray is a very exciting step and continues the high tradition of staging the Irish Open at outstanding venues. The fact that the East of Ireland Amateur Open Championship is held here, coupled with its proximity to our international airport and Northern Ireland, lends itself to attract even greater spectator numbers next year and we look forward to this.

‘As title sponsor in our inaugural year, we witnessed the tremendous dedication and hard work, which was invested by all parties involved. This commitment produced results which were first class, and we were very proud to be associated with the event. Our agreement to continue our sponsorship underlines our commitment to the Irish Open, which, we believe, enhanced our brand image both on a national and international stage. We look forward to another exciting festival of golf next year’.

Shaun Quinn, Chief Executive, Fáilte Ireland, added: ‘Fáilte Ireland has supported the Irish Open since 1995 and this prestigious tournament has played a central role in our successful strategy of marketing Ireland as Europe’s premier golfing destination. We now attract up to 200,000 overseas visitors annually to play golf, yielding close to €162,000,000 to the exchequer. The Nissan Irish Open 2004 will generate invaluable media exposure for Ireland across our key tourism markets in America, the United Kingdom and Europe. This coverage will send out a very positive image of Ireland to the world, further enhancing our reputation, not simply as a golfing destination, but as a quality tourism destination.

‘I fully endorse the selection of the beautiful Baltray links course at County Louth Golf Club as the venue for the 2004 Nissan Irish Open and I am confident that the tournament will provide a significant tourism boost for the North East region.’

Thomas Collier, Captain, County Louth Golf Club, said: ‘On behalf of County Louth Golf Club, may I say what a great honour it is for us to be chosen as the venue for the 2004 Nissan Irish Open. Whilst we have hosted many significant events in the past, this is without doubt the biggest undertaking of the club to date.

‘We look forward to hosting record crowds and we are aware not only of the immensity of the undertaking, but also of the enormous tourism benefit to the local community. The club acknowledges the co-operation of the local community and adjoining landowners, whose contribution is significant to the overall infrastructure of the venue.

‘Finally, The European Tour, sponsors Nissan Ireland, competitors and those attending can be assured of the usual friendly welcome and co-operation on their visit to Baltray.’

The Nissan Irish Open, inaugurated in 1927, has had a long and outstanding history, with an impressive array of champions, including Major winners Seve Ballesteros, Ben Crenshaw, Fred Daly, George Duncan, Nick Faldo, Hubert Green, Bernhard Langer, Bobby Locke, José Maria Olazábal, Alf Padgham, Reg Whitcombe and Ian Woosnam.

Alongside Daly, Ireland has celebrated three other winners, Harry Bradshaw, Christy O’Connor Jnr and John O’Leary, while Colin Montgomerie, alongside Ballesteros, Faldo and Langer, holds the record for the most wins with three.

For more details contact:

European Tour
Gordon Simpson, Director of Communications
Tel: 0044 1344 840 400

Murray Consultants
Sharon McDonnell, Senior Consultant
Tel: 01 4980 300