Golfing Union of Ireland reveal dates and venues of their 2019 fixtures
- Lahinch to host the Home Internationals
- Provincial Seniors Championships age limit reduced to 50
- West of Ireland Amateur Open Championship changes to stroke play as a one-off for 2019
- Fred Perry Trophy, an inter-club team event for over-55 golfers, to be inaugurated
2019 will be a busy year for Lahinch Golf Club. In addition to their customary hosting of the South of Ireland Championship and the excitement caused by the impending arrival of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open next July, the Clare venue will also play host to the Men’s Home Internationals on 11-13 September.
It will be the first time since 1987 that Lahinch will host the Men’s Home Internationals, where Ireland will be looking for their fifth win in the last six instalments of the event.
The Home Internationals are the highlight of a busy domestic events calendar, released by the Golfing Union of Ireland and its Provincial Branches, which confirm the hosting by County Sligo of the Flogas Irish Amateur Open on 16-19 May.
The AIG Irish Amateur Close Championship takes place in Ballybunion on 3-7 August, with the Interprovincial Championship visiting Tullamore in the last week of August and the Boys Interprovincial Championships being held in Athlone from 23-25 July.
The AIG Cups and Shields All-Ireland Finals, meanwhile, will be held in Westport while Castletroy (Irish Mixed Foursomes), Roe Park (All-Ireland Four-Ball) and Castle Dargan (Fred Daly, Junior Foursomes and Boys Inter-Club) will be the final destinations for this year’s provincial champions in various categories.
In addition, a significant change is being made to the domestic game at Seniors level, with the four Provincial Seniors Championships lowering their lower age limits from 55 to 50 on the recommendation of the Irish Seniors Selection Committee.
The Irish Seniors Amateur Open Championship will remain an over-55s competition in line with those of the four Home Unions and The R&A, but the move by the Branches aligns Ireland’s regional seniors championships with those of Scotland, where regional championships run under the auspices of the Scottish Seniors Golf Society have a lower age limit of 50.
Importantly, an added dimension to Seniors golf at club level in 2019 will be the addition to the calendar of an All-Ireland Seniors Inter-Club competition named after the recently deceased past-President of the Union, Fred Perry.
The Fred Perry Trophy will be an inter-club four-ball championship for teams of 10 players, all of whom must be over 55 years of age on 1st January in the year of the event. Fittingly, the inaugural All-Ireland Finals will be held in Perry’s home club, County Sligo, where he served the Connacht Branch with distinction for 42 years on the West of Ireland Championship Committee.
GUI FIXTURES 2019 (Galway Hosted Events In Bold)
JANUARY
10-13: South American Amateur, Santiago
15-20: Australian Amateur, Woodlands/Spring Valley
FEBRUARY
13-16: Portuguese Stroke Play, Montado
17-22: South African Amateur Championship, King David Mowbray
26 Feb-1 Mar: South African Stroke Play Championship, De Zalze
27 Feb-3 Mar: Spanish Amateur, Las Colinas
MARCH
20: Irish Schools Senior Championship – Ulster Finals
APRIL
04-07: West of Ireland Amateur Open Championship, County Sligo
09: Irish Schools Senior Championship – Connacht Finals, Ballinrobe
10-12: Ulster Students Amateur Open Championship, Ballyliffin
10-13: Euro Nations Championship, Sotogrande
16-17: Connacht U16 Boys Amateur Open Championship, Galway Bay
17-18: Peter McEvoy Trophy, Copt Heath
20-22: U16 4 Nations Development Matches, Scotland
23-24: All-Ireland Schools Finals, Portstewart
24-26: Ulster Boys Amateur Open Championship, Donegal
25: Munster U14 Boys Amateur Open Championship, Tralee
MAY
02: Connacht U15 Schools Development Event, Ballinrobe
03-05: Lytham Trophy, Royal Lytham & St Annes
03-05: Fairhaven Trophy, Fairhaven
04-05: Munster Stroke Play Championship, Cork
06: Connacht, Fred Daly Stroke Play Qualifying, Athenry
08-09: Leinster Seniors Amateur Open Championship, Carlow
14: Brabazon (North) Qualifier, Lindrick
14: Brabazon (South) Qualifier, Hindhead
16-19: Flogas Irish Amateur Open Championship, County Sligo
22-24: Irish Seniors Amateur Open Championship, Belvoir Park
25-26: Munster Mid-Amateur Open Championship, Gold Coast
27-28: Ulster Stroke Play Championship, Galgorm Castle/Massereene
30 May- 02 Jun: Brabazon Trophy, Alwoodley
JUNE
01-03: East of Ireland Amateur Open Championship, County Louth
05-07: Munster Students Amateur Open Championship, Tipperary
06-08: European Mid-Amateur, St Laurence
07-09: St Andrews Links Trophy, St Andrews
07-09: Arnold Palmer Cup, The Alotian Club
08-09: Connacht Stroke Play, Portumna
12: Fred Perry Trophy Connacht Final 1st leg
13-15: European Seniors Individual Championship, Golf Patriziale Ascona
17-22: The Amateur Championship, Portmarnock/The Island
18-19: Munster Seniors Amateur Open Championship, Killarney (Killeen)
19: Fred Perry Trophy Connacht Final 2nd Leg
20-21: Leinster U16 Boys Amateur Open Championship, Beaverstown
21-23: Henry Cooper Junior Masters, Nizels
22: Connacht Nine Hole Course Inter Club Provincial Final, Dunmore Demense
22-23: Ulster Mid-Amateur Open Championship, Rosapenna
25-28: Irish Boys Amateur Open Championship, New Forest
25: Ulster U14 Boys Amateur Open Championship, Lurgan
26-29: European Individual Championship, Diamond CC
JULY
01: Irish Boys U18 Inter-Club Qualifier (Kenny Cup), Ballyhaunis/Glenlo Abbey
02-04: Ulster U14 Boys Amateur Close Championship, Blackwood
03-05: Connacht Boys Amateur Open Championship, Oughterard
03-05: Irish Seniors Amateur Close Championship, TBC
08: Leinster U16 Boys Amateur Close Championship, Ashbourne
08-12: North of Ireland Amateur Open Championship, Portstewart
09-11: Leinster Boys Amateur Open Championship, Waterford
09-13: European Amateur Team Championship, Ljunghusen
09-13: European Boys Amateur Team Championship, France
10: Connacht U14 Boys Amateur Open Championship, Ballinasloe
10-12: Ulster U16 Boys Amateur Close Championship, Dungannon
16-17: Munster U16 Boys Amateur Open Championship, Ballykisteen
16-18: McGregor Trophy (English U16 Boys), Radcliffe on Trent
19-20: Irish Mixed Foursomes – Connacht Finals, Ballaghaderreen
20-21: AIG Junior Cup & Pierce Purcell Shield – Leinster Finals, Greenore
20: AIG Jimmy Bruen & Pierce Purcell – Munster Finals, Nenagh
23-25: Boys Under 14, Under 16 & Under 18 Interprovincials, Athlone
24-28: South of Ireland Amateur Open Championship, Lahinch (Old Course)
25: Connacht U12, U14, U16 & U18 Close Stroke Play Qualifiers, Ballina/Tuam
25-27: European Young Masters, Czech Republic
26-27: AIG Jimmy Bruen & Barton Shield – Leinster Finals, Royal Tara
29: Irish Junior Foursomes – Ulster Finals, Spa
29-30: Irish Junior Foursomes – Connacht Finals, Castlerea
30-31: Ulster Seniors Amateur Open Championship, Lough Erne
31 Jul-02 Aug: Senior Amateur Championship, North Berwick
AUGUST
01-02: Irish U14 Boys Amateur Open Championship, Greenacres
03-07: AIG Irish Amateur Close Championship, Ballybunion
06-08: Boys Home Internationals, Ashburnham
06-08: Reid Trophy (English U14 Boys), Trentham
06-07: Ulster U16 Boys Amateur Open Championship, Carnalea
09-11: AIG Cups and Shields Connacht Finals, Westport
10: Irish Mixed Foursomes – Munster Finals, Castletroy
11: AIG Junior Cup – Ulster Finals, Lisburn
11: Ulster Scratch Foursomes Championship, Malone
11-12: Scottish U14 Boys Amateur Open Championship, Newmachar
12: Connacht U12, U14, U16, U18 Close Championship Finals, Mountbellew
12-18: US Amateur Championship, Pinehurst
14: Munster U15 & U17 Boys Amateur Close Championship, Cobh
16-18: Welsh Amateur Open Championship, Prestatyn
17: AIG Jimmy Bruen Shield – Ulster Finals, Edenmore
17-18: Connacht Mid-Amateur Open Championship, Roscommon
18: AIG Senior Cup – Ulster Finals, Belvoir Park
19: Fred Daly Trophy – Munster Finals, Clonmel
20: Irish Junior Foursomes – Munster Finals, Clonmel
21-23: Irish U16 Boys Amateur Open Championship, Donabate
23-25: Scottish Mens Amateur Open Championship, The Duke’s
24-25: AIG Senior Cup – Leinster Finals, Blainroe
24: Irish Mixed Foursomes – Ulster Finals, Bangor
24: AIG Pierce Purcell Shield – Ulster Finals, Kilrea
24-25: AIG Barton Shield, Senior Cup & Junior Cup – Munster Finals, Tramore
25: All-Ireland Four-Ball – Ulster Finals, Killymoon
25: AIG Barton Shield – Ulster Finals, Royal Belfast
27-28: Connacht Seniors Amateur Open Championship, Tuam
28-30: Men’s Interprovincial Championship, Tullamore
28-30: Irish Students Amateur Open Championship, TBC
30-31: Jacques Leglise Trophy, Aldeburgh
SEPTEMBER
01: All Ireland Four-Ball – Munster Finals, Mitchelstown
01: Fred Daly Trophy – Ulster Finals, Portstewart
03-05: Italian U16 Amateur Open Championship, Biella
03-07: European Senior Team Championship, Rungsted
06-07: Irish Mixed Foursomes All-Ireland Final, Castletroy
07-08: The Walker Cup, Royal Liverpool
07-08: Leinster Mid-Amateur Open Championship, Headfort
08: Fred Perry Trophy – Munster Finals, Cork
11-13: Home Internationals, Lahinch
14-15: All-Ireland Four-Ball Finals, Roe Park
17-19: Seniors Home Internationals, Alnmouth
19: Connacht Section: Irish Junior Schools Championship, Ballinrobe
20-22: AIG Cups and Shields All-Ireland Finals, Westport
26 Sep: Connacht Section: Irish Schools Senior Qualifiers, Tubbercurry/Gort
26-27: Fred Perry Trophy All-Ireland Finals, Co Sligo
28-29: Fred Daly, Junior Foursomes & Boys Inter-Club All-Ireland Finals, Castle Dargan
28-29: Irish Mid-Amateur Open Championship, Royal Belfast
OCTOBER
11-13: Ireland U16 V England U16, Hunstanton
24: Ulster Schools Scratch Championship, Kirkistown Castle
24-26: European Club Trophy, Golf du Médoc Resort
29: Leinster U14 Boys Amateur Open Championship, Elmgreen
30 Oct-01 Nov: Munster Boys Amateur Open Championship, Ballybunion (Cashen)
