Northern Ireland Open (golf)
The Northern Ireland Open is a golf tournament on the Challenge Tour. It was played for the first time in August/September 2013 at the Galgorm Castle Golf Club in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. In 2017 the event was changed from 72 holes of stroke play to a "Super 6" style format.[1] In 2018 the event reverted to 72-hole stroke-play. The 2019 event was called the ISPS Handa World Invitational and involved separate men's and women's events, both having the same prize money.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Ballymena, Northern Ireland |
| Established | 2013 |
| Course(s) | Galgorm Castle Golf Club |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 7,078 yards (6,472 m) |
| Tour(s) | Challenge Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | $250,000 |
| Month played | August |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 265 Ryan Fox (2016) 265 Calum Hill (2018) |
| To par | −19 as above |
| Current champion | |
 Tyler Koivisto | |
2017 format
The 2017 format was similar to that used for the 2017 World Super 6 Perth. The main difference was that the 6-hole matches were determined by stroke play rather than match play. It retained the 156-player field, with the cut being made at the top-60 and ties after 36 holes. After 54 holes, the field was cut to a fixed 24. Ties for 24th place were determined by a sudden-death playoff. There were then five six-hole knock-out rounds on the final day. The leading eight after 54 holes received a bye in the first round. The remaining 16 were randomly paired. The six holes used on the final day were 17, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 18. There were a number of other matches for the minor places.[1]
Winners
| Year | Winner | Country | Score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland Open supported by The R&A | ||||||
| 2020 | Tyler Koivisto | United States | 267 | −13 | 2 strokes |  Kristian Johannessen |
| ISPS Handa World Invitational presented by Modest! Golf Management | ||||||
| 2019 | Jack Senior |  England | 269 | −11 | Playoff | Matthew Baldwin |
| Galgorm Resort & Spa Northern Ireland Open presented by Modest! Golf | ||||||
| 2018 | Calum Hill |  Scotland | 265 | −19 | 1 stroke | Scott Henry.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Stuart Manley |
| 2017 | Robin Sciot-Siegrist |  France | 20 | −3 | 2 strokes |  Alessandro Tadini |
| Tayto Northern Ireland Open in partnership with Ulster Bank | ||||||
| 2016 | Ryan Fox |  New Zealand | 265 | −19 | 4 strokes |  Dominic Foos Dylan Frittelli Max Orrin Bernd Ritthammer |
| Northern Ireland Open in association with Sphere Global and Ulster Bank | ||||||
| 2015 | Clément Sordet | France | 267 | −17 | 1 stroke | John Hahn |
| Northern Ireland Open Challenge in association with Maui Jim Sunglasses | ||||||
| 2014 | Joakim Lagergren |  Sweden | 271 | −13 | 1 stroke | Adrien Bernadet |
| Northern Ireland Open Challenge presented by Clannah and XJET | ||||||
| 2013 | Daan Huizing |  Netherlands | 271 | −13 | Playoff | Oliver Wilson |
In 2017 the event had a knock-out format. The result above is the score in the final.
References
- "Shootout Sunday". www.niopen.golf. Retrieved 8 August 2017.