Limerick Golf Club is preparing to host the 116th Irish PGA Championship from August 3-5. This prestigious event marks only the second time the Championship will be held at Ballyclough, returning 53 years after its last staging in 1973. On that occasion, defending champion Jimmy Kinsella famously closed with a 66 and triumphed over Paul Leonard in a play-off, securing his second domestic title.
Club President Ivan Morris vividly recalled the 1973 contest: “I was an interested observer in 1973 when Jimmy Kinsella ‘caught fire’ during his last nine holes to make up eight shots on the field and join Paul Leonard in a play-off where Kinsella calmly holed an awkward four-footer to win on the first hole.”
The 54-hole Championship features a significant €60,000 prize fund. Defending champion Simon Thornton will be aiming for his fifth victory, a feat that would see him match the illustrious record of Michael Moran. Thornton, recently appointed PGA in Ireland Captain for 2026, achieved a wire-to-wire victory last year in Monkstown and also claimed the season-long Elavon Order of Merit title.
He is expected to face formidable competition from Ireland’s top PGA professionals, including Limerick Golf Club’s own Tim Rice, who won the Championship in 2017 and finished seventh last year.
Before the main event, the club will also host the “1976 Memorial Scratch Cup” on June 1st. This event commemorates the 50th anniversary of the club’s Senior Cup-Barton Shield double win and provides players an opportunity to experience the course prior to it hosting the Regional Senior Cup finals.
Since 2024, Limerick Golf Club has invested €800,000 in substantial course improvements. These enhancements include the construction of five new sand-based greens, improved drainage on six fairways, and upgrades to 25 of its 41 bunkers. Furthermore, a new par-three 16th hole has been created, resolving previous boundary issues.
A Pro-Am event will precede the Championship on August 2.