Ryder Cup and Walker Cup heroes Des Smyth and Roddy Carr are to host the Irish leg and the third-largest event on the Golf Legends Tour at Seapoint Golf Links this June.
Seapoint, in Termonfeckin, County Louth, will play host to the major professional tournament from June 22-25, when many of golf’s greatest legends will descend upon the scenic coastal venue.
Smyth is something of a local hero having co-designed and co-built Seapoint Golf Links in the early 1990s.
He starred in two Ryder Cups, was an eight-time winner on the European Tour, and continues to hold a unique place in golf history as one of only two players to have won on the Tour in four separate decades, alongside Lee Westwood.
He is also a five-time winner on the Legends Tour and a two-time winner on the PGA Champions Tour.
He will be joined as co-host by his close friend Carr, a former East of Ireland Champion and Irish international golfer who sank the winning putt at the 1971 Walker Cup at St Andrews, before spending a decade playing professionally on the European Tour.
The Dubliner has since become a prominent figure in the global golf business, managing Seve Ballesteros for a decade and representing Jack Nicklaus Design, developing golf courses around the world.
The Irish Legends returned to the over-50s Tour schedule in 2021 following an 11-year hiatus and has proven a huge success.
European golf legend and winning 2018 Ryder Cup Captain Thomas Bjørn of Denmark emerged victorious in the 2021 Irish Legends while Welshman Philip Price – who famously beat Phil Mickelson in the singles on the way to Europe’s 2002 Ryder Cup triumph – claimed the title last year at Rossapenna in County Donegal.
“We’re immensely proud of the golf course we designed and built at Seapoint,” said Smyth.
“The closing stretch of holes are set on some of the most beautiful links lands and I am sure it will challenge these great players. I look forward to welcoming and hosting friends old and new on the links in my home County.”
“Des and I are delighted to come together again to welcome the Legends Tour to the wonderful links at Seapoint,” added Carr.
“During my decade travelling with Des on the European Tour, he was one of the most popular of all in the locker room. He helped all the Irish lads coming through at the time, the likes of McGinley, Clarke and Harrington, teaching them the ropes and about life ‘on tour’. Des is a big part of the success Irish golf has had over the years.”
Sport for Business member ForeFront Sports is a co-promoter of the event.
