Monkstown Golf Club to host Irish PGA Championship
LEADERS IN THE CLUBHOUSE: Conor Dillon, PGA in Ireland Manager pictured at the launch of the 2025 Irish PGA Championship at Monkstown Golf Club with club officials Cian McNamara, Head Professional; Michael Doorley, Chairman; Gavin O’Neill, Captain; Martin Stuart, President; Rosemary O’Connor, Captain of the Ladies Club and David O'Sullivan, General Manager. Also included is Seamus McGrath, TD. Picture: Niall O'Shea
The Irish PGA Championship is returning to Cork for the first time since 1997 with the announcement that Monkstown Golf Club will play host to the country’s top professionals.
The flagship event, which was won by Paul McGinley at Fota Island on its last Leeside visit, will take place from August 4th to 7th.
Monkstown’s selection as host venue cements its rising reputation as a modern world-class golfing experience after a major outlay on course enhancements.
“The members are thrilled with this,” said captain Gary O’Neill. “We’ve about 1,300 members; 200 of those would be juveniles, 250 ladies, and 900 men of all ages, 18 and up.
“In the last five years, we’ve invested enormously in the club. We’ve put in a short-game area, a driving range, we’ve completely redone the bunkers over the whole 18 holes, and that would amount to an expenditure of close to €1 million, which is not insignificant in any language.
“It just shows we’re a very progressive, very ambitious club. We want to be the best at what we do, and this is a great statement for the Irish PGA Championship to come here and showcase what we have to our members, guests, and travelling professionals.
“We’re really excited to see how will they play the course and how will they play the different shots so next August will be a celebratory time for the club.”
The historic trophy was raised 10 times by Harry Bradshaw and Christy O’Connor Snr, while Pádraig Harrington famously won both of his Open Championships within a week of Irish PGA success.
In recent years, Niall Kearney, David Higgins, Damien McGrane, and Simon Thornton have come to dominate the event. That quartet of DP World Tour veterans have captured 12 of the last 14 editions, each sharing three titles.
“It’ll be interesting to see the scoring. I don’t envisage it being as low as some people believe,” said head professional Cian McNamara.
“Martin (Travers), the greenskeeper, one of his strongest assets is he can control scoring the way he sets up this course.
“If the course gets firm, which I believe it will, and if the greens get quick, as I believe they will, anywhere from nine-to-ten-under is the kind of scoring I envisage in nice weather. I don’t see 15-or-16-under.
“And guys want to win this big event. There’s some nice opportunities for the person who wins it.
“The way the region has gone now, some of the exemption events into the DP World or Challenge Tour have got much tighter. For the elite guys at that level, they need to win this event.” Plenty of rising stars will be seeking to make a breakthrough, too.
“There are some serious young pros coming through, and the Irish PGA is a great footing for young pros to cut their teeth and go onto bigger things,” said general manager David O’Sullivan.
“Cian and I have played in the event on numerous occasions, and we know the stature of the event and the profile that it brings to clubs.
“It’s the flagship event on the PGA circuit. It’s a great opportunity to bring it here, to showcase the facilities, and to show where we’ve gotten to at Monkstown Golf Club.”
The course upgrade has seen a large programme of bunker repositioning undertaken, while new technology will ensure those sand traps remain playable in all weather conditions.
Those modernisations saw Monkstown crack the Irish Golfer Top 100 courses for the first time in 2025.
“The way golf evolves with technology and ball advancements, how younger, stronger players play the game is different,” explains O’Sullivan. “It’s great that Monkstown were able to envisage this.
“If there was a bunker 150 yards back from a green, we have put in bunkers further up towards the green, which is going to catch bigger hitters.
“It’s modelling the golf course with the changes in the game of golf to safeguard it for the next number of years.
“We set up the golf course for our members, and we’ve different tee sets, but for the week of the championship, the professional players are going to see the teeth of the golf course showing.” O’Sullivan expects to draw plenty of eyeballs from the wider golfing - and sporting - public.
“Golf is very strong in Cork, and Cork are great supporters of all sports.
“There’ll be a lot of people not attached to Monkstown Golf Club who will be interested in the event.
“We’ll have spectators coming out to view the pros playing and testing themselves on Monkstown Golf Club.” PGA in Ireland manager Conor Dillon hailed the club for its transformative development.
“We were very keen to bring the championship to Munster and Monkstown is an ideal venue for it,” he said.
“The upgrades and improvements have enhanced the club offering, and with David, Cian, and his assistants, Monkstown has one of the best PGA teams in the country.”
