Rory McIlroy Aims To Entice US Stars To The Irish Open 2015
Rory McIlroy is hopeful that his decision for his foundation to host the upcoming Irish Open 2015 at the Royal County Down will restore the former glory of the event as he aims to lure U.S. stars to participate.
The 25-year-old recently announced that the Irish Open 2015 will be hosted by The Rory Foundation on May 28 to 31. Being a native of Northern Ireland, the venue is particularly close to the 25-year-old professional golfer as it witnessed his final amateur appearance in the Walker Cup back in 2007.
As the tournament host, the Northern Irishman will work closely alongside the Tour to develop the commercial and sponsorship activities of the Irish Open 2015. The world no. 1 is pretty enthusiastic to attract a title sponsor and some big name players, with 2007 Walker Cup players Billy Horschel and Rickie Fowler possible return to the Newcastle course. Apart from the aforementioned, the four-time major champion is also committed to enhancing the field by recruiting his fellow players from the U.S. PGA and The European Tours.
"We are really excited about it," McIlroy said at Gleneagles according to Golf Notices. "I am going to host the Irish Open next year and hopefully for the years to come, obviously. It is hosted by me and my charitable foundation, so there is going to be a big charity element to it. We are just trying to restore the Irish Open to what it once was. It has struggled the last few years trying to get a title sponsor and trying to get a good field on good golf courses."
The professional golfer is pretty positive to be able to persuade players on the tour to come over to the Irish Open 2015. Currently, the Northern Irishman is collaborating with some companies to score a title sponsorship on board to make the tournament better and bigger.
Keen to attract big stars from the U.S. and Europe, McIlroy went on to explain that he already worked with a number of players who also played during Walker Cup in 2007 and he already talked to them.