Europe has two major championships in the women’s game, but while the Evian and AIG Women’s Open Championships stand as two of the big five events in golf, there is no doubt that the KPMG Women’s Irish Open is on a par with them in many respects.
After two magnificent stagings at Dromoland Castle as the event returned to the Ladies European Tour schedule, the Women’s Irish Open went up a level when it was hosted at Carton House last year. The O’Meara course delivered a thrilling conclusion as Annabel Dimmock won in a playoff over Frenchwoman Pauline Roussin-Bouchard.
In terms of infrastructure, crowds, and golf course layout, it has been compared to major championships, and the event received widespread recognition at the LET awards, where it won Event of the Year and Golf Course Condition of the Year.
This year, things already look like they are moving up a level, with major stars set to descend on County Kildare, including Solheim Cup captain Anna Nordqvist and European heroes Georgia Hall, Madelene Sagström, and Charley Hull.
Castlewarden’s own Lauren Walsh will be a huge attraction as she makes her second appearance on home soil. The Carton House touring professional is the centrepiece of much of the pre-tournament promotion, with her face and name plastered on several billboards around Maynooth.
Walsh is already excited to tee it up in a world-class field from 3-6 July. “The field already confirmed is brilliant, there are a lot of top players coming over which only raises the profile of the event. All of us Irish are excited for it, it’s like another major to us. I can’t wait,” explains Walsh, who hopes the European swing can prove a fruitful one where she gets her first LET win.
“It feels like a major when you are there, the crowds are great, and it should be another fantastic event.
“That is very fun (the billboards), my family see them around Maynooth and stuff so it’s a bit of a laugh. It’s a special event, playing in front of my family and it will be a special week and hopefully so many young girls come out to watch some golf and can be inspired for years to come.”
Walsh made her KPMG Women’s Irish Open debut last year at Carton House. Excitement and hype were through the roof for the 24-year-old, but she struggled once Thursday morning came along and missed the cut on Friday. This year, she is determined to make amends and do herself justice in front of her family and friends.
“It was an incredible experience playing in front of my family and friends, I can’t wait for it to come around again this year. With it being in Carton so close to home for me, it is just a very special event,” says Walsh.
“It’s a real championship style golf course especially with the last few holes leading to a dramatic finish. Everyone is excited to get back this year. The event got the recognition it deserves as Event of the Year at the LET Awards and that’s testament to everyone involved and we’re all excited to get back.”
The 2024 KPMG Women’s Irish Open welcomed 37,000 spectators, with tournament attendance seeing a marked increase of 46% since KPMG came on board as title sponsor in 2022, further boosting the visibility of the Women’s Irish Open to a combined audience of over 100 million.
Records like the this could be smashed with the presence of Charley Hull in the field. The Englishwoman burst onto the scene at the 2013 Solheim Cup aged 17 and has since gone on to appear in seven contests while winning seven times in her career, breaking into the top 10 in the world, and achieving top-six finishes in all five major championships.
Hull rivals Nelly Korda as the most popular female golfer, with her huge social media presence and box-office style of play making her a fan favourite.
Walsh, who grew up watching Hull in Solheim Cups, has never played alongside the 29-year-old but knows the buzz she creates from playing in the same events as her.
“It’s great to see so many highly ranked players coming over. Charley has done a lot for the game and brought a lot more fans which has been great. A lot of people will be excited to go and watch her,” Walsh adds.
“I’ve never played with her before but she’s definitely a great character and has a great personality to bring some big crowds. I’ve played in the same events as her and there is a great buzz in the groups she is playing in.
“She has her own approach to how she does things and it’s good to see and have a lot of people invested in the sport because of her. It will be great to have her in Ireland.”
The KPMG Women’s Irish Open no longer has to be built around Leona Maguire, whose performances have culminated in inspiring a women’s golfing boom in Ireland. Last year, a record number of 13 Irish players competed at Carton House, including both professional and amateur players. Since then, a golden generation of Irish players have broken through to the Ladies European Tour, with Canice Screene, Sara Byrne, Anna Foster, and Annabel Wilson all earning their LET cards to join Walsh on tour this year. Áine Donegan is expected to turn professional imminently, while hopes are high for young amateur stars Beth Coulter and Olivia Costello.
The LET has proven a happy hunting ground for the Irish so far, with Byrne, Foster, Walsh, and Wilson all enjoying at least one high finish, while Screene made her debut at the Dutch Ladies Open. After an excellent rookie campaign on the Ladies European Tour, Walsh has been delighted to show her friends the ropes, and she feels having the KPMG Women’s Irish Open back on the schedule will only continue to inspire the next generation.
“It’s been brilliant, we have shared Airbnb’s on the way and to have more company on tour is amazing, going out for dinner and sharing the experience and making it better for each other.
“From playing on Irish teams to being out on tour is kind of a dream come true for everyone. We’ve all had a couple of weeks that have been quite good individually. It’s nice to have the company out here to make the job a little bit easier. We are all working hard on the golf course, but it is definitely a benefit to have people to share the experiences with along the way and we have all benefited from that. We are all excited for the European swing and the Irish Open.
“It’s been brilliant to see so many Irish girls up and coming. Last year with the record number it was cool to see and hopefully more of the same this year.”
The current crop on the LET have all come through the Golf Ireland underage panels, junior setups, Irish teams, and Curtis Cups. Women’s sport often struggles with teenagers dropping out, but there are dozens of girls who are blossoming from this cocoon, and Walsh expects more players to develop into touring professionals over the next few years.
“The key is that we’ve had a group of girls pushing each other on from a young age. This current group of us that played on Irish teams together and came through the ranks together. We all took that step to go to the US for college golf and travelled and naturally we have taken the next step to play professionally. It’s great for us all to be living the dream at the same time. Hopefully that can only be good for the next generation who can see us doing it and think they can as well.”
So far in her LET career, Walsh has made 30 appearances, registering six top-10 finishes and carding a low round of 64. “I’ve got myself into contention a couple of times which has been good. One of my goals at the start of the year was to get into contention as often as I could and enjoy my golf. Stuff will look after itself so I am knocking on the door of a win and hopefully that will come at some point this year. I’m taking care of what I can control and that’s big for me as it helps my golf.
“I’m excited to be back in Europe and building towards the Irish Open, it makes it easier on travel, I can go home for a day or two between events which is great and hopefully more good golf to come for the rest of the year.
“It was nice to come out of the blocks in Morocco and finish fourth and play well in the first event of the year and I have built off the momentum of that and trying to get into contention as much as I can. I’ve been really happy with the start so far before getting back to Europe.
“It’s close. It’s about getting everything together at the right time and it’s about believing it will happen and then allowing it to happen and getting in the right mindset where I can play the golf I know I am capable of. I know it’s there.”
Last year’s Curtis Cup clashed with the KPMG Women’s Irish Open, meaning Great Britain and Ireland heroes Sara Byrne, Beth Coulter, and Áine Donegan couldn’t tee it up at Carton House. This year, they will join Walsh, while Byrne, Annabel Wilson, and Canice Screene will all make their professional home debuts in what will be another watershed moment for the tournament as it continues to inspire the next generation. Elm Park’s Anna Foster made her professional debut in this event last season.
“It felt like the right time to do it. I got into the Irish Open and it felt nice to have my first pro event there and having that home support. In that timeframe it felt like that was perfect timing and I was finished college too,” explained Foster, who has enjoyed a bright start to her rookie campaign on the LET.
Donegan felt the roar of home support when the tournament was previously hosted at Dromoland Castle, and she is very excited to rub shoulders with some of the world’s best players this summer.
“It’s a big field this year. They’ve got a lot of top players and Leona will be coming back as well,” said Donegan. “I know Madelene Sagstrom’s caddie really well so I’ve played a few practice rounds before with her and her caddie Shane Codd is from Wexford.
“I was delighted to see that she was playing and I know that Shane will be delighted to be at home.”
There is no doubt that the future of the KPMG Women’s Irish Open is very bright, and Donegan believes it is the perfect event to showcase why the AIG Women’s Open should come to Ireland soon, given the size of the crowds generated.
“I think it’s the biggest event on the LET. The crowds in Carton House last year were bigger than St Andrews for the Women’s Open. That will only help try to bring a Women’s Open to Ireland because of our crowds. Fair play to Eamon O’Donnell he was the first person to bring it back and to have Forefront running it as well they have done a great job.
“The future for the tournament is very exciting.”
You can still purchase tickets for the KPMG WOmen’s Irish Open HERE
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