The KPMG Women’s Irish Open gets underway at Dromoland Castle on Thursday and will be shown live on RTÉ as well as on Sky Sports and coast to coast in the United States.

The tournament’s return to Ireland for the first time in over a decade could not be better timed with Leona Maguire leading a surge of interest in the Women’s game here.

Golf Ireland’s Women in Golf programme has seen hundreds of players signing up from every age group to play for the first time at their local clubs and then to carry on in a sport that has no upper age limit.

As an ambassador for KPMG, it was always on the cards that she would play but such is the nature of competitive sport that it still required a degree of shuffling of her commitments to the PGA Tour in America,  Olivia Mehaffey is also teeing up and a number of leading Irish amateurs.

Caitriona Matthew, who won the event when it was last held here and was captain of the European Solheim Cup team last year will also draw crowds.

Maguire’s presence though was the magic that justified RTÉ showing the tournament on the News Now Channel from 3 PM to 6 PM on Thursday and Friday, and then on RTÉ 2 on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

It could not have happened without the support of Dromoland Castle who wanted to push their course to a global audience and saw the Women’s event as being a key moment that could be executed much quicker than one on the DP World Tour.

A seven-figure investment programme in the golf course and the refurbishment of the Castle, one of Ireland’s finest five-star hotels, meant that the time was right and they brought on ForeFront Sports Management to navigate the challenges of staging effectively a brand new highlight on the Irish sporting calendar.

Golf Ireland and Sport Ireland were willing supporters and so it has come to this week where County Clare will be seen to the best effect, justifying Fáilte Ireland and Government support.

KPMG are on board for a three-year deal and there is an option to remain at Dromoland Castle.  Other sponsors including Amundi and Sports Direct have also come in behind the event and Sport for Business is proud to be an official media partner.

Next year’s event may come a little earlier in the calendar and avoid the National Ploughing Championships that draw a huge country crowd but for now, the final polish is being applied to a magnificent golf course for what should be a special week in Irish sport.