The 2024 KPMG Women’s Irish Open has proven a surefire winner with players, fans, sponsors, and everyone associated with golf.
Annabel Dimmock has been crowned the champion after a dramatic play-off. During the week, she set two course records, and still found time to host a clinic with 40 young golfers.
With her near 150,000 Instagram followers and brand association with Adidas, she promises to be a shining star of an ambassador for the tournament.
The pictures beamed from Carton House over the past week, to Ireland on RTÉ, on Sky Sports across Europe and to the United States have once again shown Ireland to be among the very finest venues for the sport.
The temptation for all involved will be to celebrate a job well done and take time out before engaging again to make it even better in 2025. But that might only be the starting point.
This tournament did not exist three years ago. It was a victim of the economic crash of the early 2010s and has since found its place again.
Two years of staging at Dromoland Castle established it once more as a jewel in the crown of the Ladies European Tour. In each of the past two years, more than 30,000 fans have followed established stars like Leona Maguire, Georgia Hall and Annabel Dimmock, making it a standout on the Tour.
But still, it can be so much more.
I have written on Sport for Business this morning about the momentum and the golden moment we now have to turn this into the very best not only of Ireland but of Europe.
We are on the cusp of a golden generation of Irish women golfers in a sport where age is no barrier at either end of the scale and which is recognised as a huge economic winner for Ireland in attracting tourism.
This involves Government and state agencies like Sport Ireland and Tourism Ireland, who have been instrumental in the tournament’s success to date.
It will also need the continued support of the commercial partners, who, over the last five days, revelled in the glow of being at the heart of enabling such great and accessible sport at the highest level.
KPMG Ireland as the Title Sponsor; Amundi, Amgen and Sports Direct as the Premium Partners; Novellus Finance, BMW Ireland, Hiscox and Nespresso Professional as co-sponsors; Forefront Sports Group, Ladies European Tour, Carton House, A Fairmont Managed Hotel as Official Host Partners; UKG, Sigmoid HQ and Ishka among the other sponsors; RTÉ, Sky Sports, Irish Golfer and Sport for Business among the Official media partners; all buzzed by their involvement and every one of which we have spoken with over the past few days inspired to play a part in an ever brighter future.
A Lasting Legacy
We have the opportunity and momentum to build a lasting legacy for the Women’s game.
It feels like we are at a tipping point.
Let’s make that happen.
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