It is anticipated that the European Tour will make a formal announcement at 2 pm today that Adare Manor has been selected as the venue for the 2026 Ryder Cup.
The news comes in what has been an extraordinary week for Irish Golf and Irish sport.
The success of the 148th Open Championship being staged at Royal Portrush provides proof if it were needed that Ireland is capable of playing on the biggest of stages when it comes to sport. Staging four games in the Euro 2020 Championships will add to that and will most likely hasten a follow-up bid to stage the Rugby World Cup.
With the potential of the Open returning to Portrush in 2024 a live one, there has perhaps never been a more exciting time to be involved in sport in Ireland.
Certainly, that will be the feeling in the heart and soul of JP McManus who has invested deeply in Adare Manor, raising it to a level of credibility as ‘The Augusta’ of Europe. Next July it will stage the biggest names in golf as part of the JP McManus Pro-Am tournament.
The stakes will now be raised again once the Government this morning confirms its willingness to underwrite the commercial numbers.
It is effectively a bet to nothing but the magnitude of the event requires state rather than just private commitment. It will be worth it. Forecasting that far in advance is a challenge with no certainty but based on previous stagings the lowball number in terms of a return to Ireland will be €150 million.
The impact on the visibility and infrastructure of Limerick will be immense, a key factor in the legacy that McManus would, in quieter moments, be keen to create.
He will be 75 years old when the first ball is struck, but he retains a youthful vigour in supporting the Limerick Hurlers or in welcoming a Cheltenham winner back in horse racing.
Shane Lowry will be 39 and will hopefully have burnished the lustre that surrounds him after the weekend by adding to his own haul of major golfing successes.
Join us later when we will update with the formal announcement.
