Dromoland Castle Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

Roll on Dromoland: Next stop Ireland for the Ladies European Tour

Matt Smith — Tue, 29 Aug 2023 11:14:30 +0000

Dromoland Castle. LET

The wonderful Dromoland Castle layout is set to welcome the Ladies European Tour this week as the KPMG Women’s Irish Open returns to the famous venue after a dramatic return to the schedule last year.

Dromoland is once again hosting the event after Klara Spilkova won a playoff over Ursula Wikstrom Nicole Broch Estrup last time out, and there will be 126 players from 28 nations teeing it up from Thursday as they chase the €400,000 prize fund.

Czech star Spilkova sits sixth in the 2023 Race to Costa del Sol having recorded five top-10 results so far this season.

While runners-up Wikstrom and Broch Estrup also return to the venue where they played so well last year and will be hoping to go one better.

Ireland’s Solheim Cup hero Leona Maguire is the best-ranked player in the field this week as she is number 14 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.

The home favourite, who hails from Cavan, finished in a tie for fourth place at last year’s edition after rounds of 67-75-65-68.

England’s Gabriella Cowley who comes into this tournament off the back of a T2 finish at the ISPS Handa World Invitational where she was defeated in a playoff.

Winners from this year on the LET playing this week are Diksha Dagar, Kristyna Napoleaova, Lisa Pettersson, Patricia Isabel Schmidt and Lily May Humphreys.

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Spilkova holds nerve to claim Irish Open at Dromoland

Matt Smith — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 08:38:11 +0000

By Matt Smith
Klara Spilkova held her nerve and held off Finland’s Ursula Wikstrom and Denmark’s Nicole Broch Estrup for a playoff win at the Women’s Irish Open at Dromoland Castle.

The Czech star fired a final round of 67 to finish level alongside Wikstrom and Broch Estrup on 14-under.

The trio then headed back down to 18 and it was Spilkova who rolled in her birdie putt to emerge as the champion at the famous Irish venue.

MORE: Van Dam targets double impact in New York
Treasure Island: Dromoland Castle is a sight to behold

“I was just trying to stay patient out there because I started a little funny,” said Spilkova. “But I just really believed in myself somehow and I kept saying to myself that it was there for me.

“It has been a while since I’ve won and I have been playing really good recently, so somehow, I was trying to convince myself that I could win today.”

The 27-year-old came into the day having recorded rounds of 6, 68 and 73 on her opening three days and had a tough start with two bogeys in her first five holes, but she also made three birdies to make the turn in 34.

Back-to-back birdies on 10 and 11 saw the Czech player put herself right in the mix before another birdie on 16.

A miraculous par-save from the edge of the water at 17 gave Spilkova the momentum and she finished her day with a birdie on 18 which at the time put her in the lead in the clubhouse.

Spilkova has had fiancé Sean on the bag with her all summer and getting the win in their final tournament of the year together made it all the more special.

She added: “It was his last event this year. He has to go back to school, so I’m really happy that we were able to do it because we’ve been playing so well this summer together and we have a really nice connection out there and he’s a great golfer. I’m just so happy that we actually did it at this last tournament.”

It was a final round each of 68 for Finland’s Wikstom and Denmark’s Broch Estrup as they both secured a spot in the playoff.

“I like Ireland and I had a nice local caddie who was helping me all week and taking care of everything,” said Wikstrom. “It was a fun week.”

Four players finished in a tie for fourth place — Denmark’s Smilla Tarning Soenderby, Austria’s Christine Wolf, Ireland’s Leona Maguire and England’s Annabel Dimmock.

It was a solid end to the week for Solheim Cup star Maguire after a round of 68 and she was cheered on by around 10,000 spectators at Dromoland Castle on Sunday.

“I gave it my very best shot today especially on the back nine,” the Irish star said. “I was just a little bit too far back after Friday, but if you would have told me I’d finish on 13-under-par on Friday night I would have taken it.

“There has been some great golf played. The Irish fans had a lot to cheer about this week, they’ve come out in their droves, and I think the first KPMG Women’s Irish Open in 10 years has been a great success.”

Scotland’s Laura Beveridge, England’s Gabriella Cowley and Spain’s Carmen Alonso rounded out the top 10 finishing in T8 on 12-under-par.

In the 2022 Race to Costa del Sol, Linn Grant increased her lead at the top of the standings and has a 202.27 point lead over compatriot Maja Stark with fellow Swede Johanna Gustavsson in third place on 1,885.63 points.

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Ireland is Treasure Island series: Day 3 — Dromoland Castle

Matt Smith — Wed, 07 Sep 2022 05:25:30 +0000

By Matt Smith
Once we had recovered from a blustery time at Lahinch Golf Club on the Golf Digest Middle East trip to Ireland, we were on to the gorgeous setting of Dromoland Castle, set in leafy parklands with one of the most beautiful backdrops in golf. Read on…

Dromoland Castle

Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co Clare
18 holes, par 72, 6,824 yards
Famous Competitions:
• White & Mackay Trophy Pro-Am (1991 & 1992)
• Irish PGA Club Professional (2017–2019)
• Women’s Irish Open (2022)

The spectacular parkland setting of Dromoland Castle Golf & Country Club takes us back to the more luxurious side of golf in Ireland.

Set on the sprawling, leafy Dromoland Castle Estate — all 410 acres of it — rolling hills, giant trees and stunning views await over the relatively short 6,824-yard course.

Blind tee-shots, cheeky bunker placements and a colossal water feature make this a true test for all golfers, with each hole making players stop and think. Risk-and-reward is once again a major factor ready to make or break a round.

First opened as a nine-hole course in 1963, Dromoland has undergone major changes over the ensuing decades and is now one of the most in-demand championship courses in Ireland. It held the prestigious Irish PGA Club Professional between 2017 and 2019, the celebrity-studded Whyte & Mackay Pro-Am in the early 1990s, and is currently preparing for the 2022 Women’s Irish Open.

The course has just completed Phase 1 of its most-recent $2 million facelift ahead of the Women’s Open — where the cream of the Ladies European Tour will contend in the $400,000 tournament from September 22-25. Pretty much every bunker has undergone a redesign, there are new or upgraded tee boxes surrounding the lake to take advantage of the views, and the iconic 18th — with its famous old tree guarding the green in the shadow of the castle — has undergone a major redesign to toughen it up and bring the water more into play.

The true character of the course remains, however, and it is a joy to play.

The signature par-3 7th is a hole you would love to play over and over again, with its raised tee high above a postage-stamp green. Try not to be distracted by the views down towards the famous old castle as water looms large on the left and a quirky shamrock-shaped bunker to the right.

The par-4 9th is another beauty of a hole and will tempt the bigger hitters to go for the green if they can carry the water in front of the flag.

After the turn, the woodland gives way to some more expansive views of the surrounding countryside and the famous River Shannon, and water comes more into play as many holes skirt the large lake at the heart of the course. The River Rine also snakes its way across the closing fairways.

Club facilities include a practice ground complete with fairways, greens, bunkers, and pitching areas, with professional coaching also available.

Alongside the relaxed clubhouse, with leisure facilities including gymnasium, swimming pool, Jacuzzi, sauna and steam room, there is the 16th-century castle itself — now a five-star hotel — and plenty of outdoor activities including fishing and shooting of the clay variety, plus plenty of opportunities for spotting the local wildlife on various nature trails.

WHERE TO STAY:

Dromoland Castle
Simply the epitome of luxurious living while visiting Ireland. dromoland.ie

ALSO SEE:

Dromoland Castle
No round of golf at Dromoland is complete without a visit to the castle itself, which has been welcoming guests since the 16th century. The O’Brien ancestral home is part-luxury hotel, part-history tour with fascinating stories behind each lavishly decorated room, hall and stairway. Dining experiences range from the exquisite Earl of Thomond restaurant, crab claws in The Gallery or afternoon tea by one of the many firesides.

Clare Abbey
The O’Briens crop up again at the 12-century Clare Abbey (above). On the banks of the River Fergus, just a mile outside Ennis and Clarecastle, Clare Abbey is one of a number of Augustinian houses and was once one of the most important monasteries in the diocese. Folklore suggests the monastic abbey was founded by Donal ‘the Great’ O’Brien, and the extensive remains of the structure are well worth a visit.

A Week In Ireland
DAY 1: The K Club
DAY 2: Lahinch Golf Club
DAY 3: Dromoland Castle
DAY 4: Mount Juliet Estate
DAY 5: Druids Heath

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