Player grants soar by €46k for Team Ireland Golf

Player funding from Team Ireland Golf has increased by €46,000 on the back of additional support from Sport Ireland.

This support from Sport Ireland sees player grants rise to €176,000 in total with 28 Challenge Tour starts also secured and three new players added to the support programme.

The player grants have been awarded to 12 aspiring professionals in 2019. Five players have received the maximum grant of €20,000, with three new players – Leona Maguire, Robin Dawson and Paul McBride qualifying for support in 2019.

Sport Ireland have upped their total support to €220,000 with proceeds from the second Team Ireland Golf Pro-Am, which took place at The K Club last July, contributing €45,000.

“The access the grant recipients have to the GUI National Golf Academy at Carton House and the world-class facilities in the Sport Ireland Institute is clearly having an impact on Ireland’s up-and-coming golfers,” said Sport Ireland Chief Executive, John Treacy. “We have seen some excellent results on the international stage, most recently Leona Maguire’s first professional win at the Windsor Golf Classic. Under the guidance of Team Ireland Golf Leader Des Smyth, Ireland has in place a strong system which will ensure Ireland continues to produce world-class golfers long into the future.”

While Des Smyth, Team Leader of Team Ireland Golf added: “The increase in funding from Sport Ireland is a welcome boost for Team Ireland Golf. The continued support of Sport Ireland enables us to better equip the players for life on a professional tour so that they spend more time focusing on their game and less time worrying about their finances.”

More than €3.8m has been provided to members of Team Ireland Golf during the last 19 years.

 Team Ireland Golf grant allocations 2019

1 Leona Maguire – €20,000

2 Robin Dawson – €20,000

3 Stephanie Meadow – €20,000

4 Gavin Moynihan – €20,000

5 Cormac Sharvin – €20,000

6 Ruaidhri McGee – €14,000

7 Gary Hurley – €12,000 + 2 CT Starts

8 Dermot McElroy – €10,000 + 3 CT Starts

9 Conor O’Rourke – €10,000 + 5 CT Starts

10 John Ross Galbraith – €10,000 + 5 CT Starts

11 Stuart Grehan – €10,000 + 5 CT Starts

12 Paul McBride – €10,000 + 6 CT Starts

Total – €176,000 + 26 CT Starts*

*(Remaining 2 CT starts unallocated at this time)