Kingspan to sponsor Concra Wood Open
Andy Whelan (Concra Wood GC President), Pat Freeman (MD, Kingspan), Christy O’Connor Jnr (course designer), Conor McKenna (Head Professional Concra Wood GC) and Ms Eithne McAviney (Lady Captain, Concra Wood GC) at the tournament launch.
Concra Wood GC and PGA Europro tour have secured Kingspan Insulation as the title sponsor of the €48,000 Kingspan Concra Wood Open, scheduled for the Castleblayney venue from July 9 - 13.
Course designer and Ryder Cup hero, Christy O’Connor Jnr was on hand to help launch the event which is set to add another dimension to a spectacular summer of golf in Ireland.
O’Connor Jnr said: “It is a great honour to be asked to help launch this event. Getting a tournament here is a huge thing for me personally as it proves the golf course is considered a proper test of golf. I would like to extend my own thanks to the title sponsors, Kingspan. We all know this is a difficult time in Ireland and it is great to see them supporting the community.
“I would also like to congratulate everyone at Concra Wood. Bringing this tournament to the venue is proof that the club is ambitious and moving forward, which is fantastic news in these tough times.”
Jim Loughran, Commercial Director at Kingspan Insulation, said: “Being located adjacent to our manufacturing site in Castleblayney, we are aware of the high standards set at Concra Wood and the opportunities that being involved with such a high profile event offers Kingspan Insulation.
Supporting local business and events has always been at the forefront of our community involvement, we are very proud to be involved with Concra Wood and to sponsor this PGA EuroPro tour event.”
Conor McKenna, Head professional at Concra Wood, added: “We are delighted to have secured Kingspan Insulation as the main title sponsor of the event.
“Not only do they play a vital part in the local community in terms of continued job creation, but they are a market leader in thermal insulation and their brand is renowned worldwide.
“We look forward to working closely with Kingspan Insulation in the coming months to make this tournament a success for the whole community.”
The PGA Europro Tour is a partnership between The Professional Golfers’ Association and Matchroom Sport. It has become one of the leading tours in Europe and is the only officially recognised golf developmental tour in the UK.
The backing and support of the PGA is pivotal to its success as players strive to progress from the PGA Europro to Challenge Tour and full European Tour.
The 2010 Open Champion, Louis Oosthuizen is one of the tour’s greatest success stories. Oosthuizen made his PGA Europro Tour debut in 2002, building his confidence and skills for two years.
Ryder Cup star Ross Fisher, 2008 Irish Open winner, Richard Finch and Scottish World Cup winner Marc Warren have all used the PGA EuroPro Tour as a launchpad to European Tour success.
In 2012 there will be up to 15 PGA Europro Tournaments staged at venues around UK and Ireland - all televised on Sky Television.
Ireland has three events - the Ulster Bank Open at Galgorm Castle GC in Ballymena (May 30 - June 1), the Fota Island Resort event (July 4 - 6) and the Kingspan Concra Wood Open (July 11 - 13).