Flogas sponsors Irish Amateur Open; DDF Irish Open invite for the winner

Pictured at The Royal Dublin Golf Club at the announcement of Flogas as Irish Amateur Open sponsors are Cormac Sharvin, with Pat Finn (CEO, GUI) and John Rooney (Managing Directpr, Flogas). Picture: GUI/Golffile.

Flogas has ended the Golfing Union of Ireland's six-year search and become the new title sponsor of Ireland's premier men's amateur golf championship, the Flogas Irish Amateur Open Championship.

The GUIs oldest event, this championship has seen some of the greatest names in amateur golf during its 124-year history with Open winner John Ball and Harold Hilton winning it in the early day.

It takes place at Royal Dublin from 5-8 May this year and boasts a stellar international field and a roll of honour that includes Major champions such as Padraig Harrington and South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen.

Flogas have agreed a three-year sponsorship deal, beginning with this year's tournament at Royal Dublin and continuing into 2017 and 2018, when the Irish Amateur Open Championship will be staged at the world famous links at Royal County Down.

As an added incentive for this year's winner at Royal Dublin, a place in the DDF Irish Open at The K Club awaits from May 19-22

Pat Finn, CEO of the Golfing Union of Ireland, welcomed the announcement, saying: "We are delighted to welcome Flogas on board as the new sponsor of Ireland's leading amateur golf Championship. The Irish Amateur Open Championship has gone from strength to strength since its re-introduction in 1995 and the support of Flogas will help the GUI to build on that success.”

John Rooney, Managing Director for Flogas Ireland said: "We are excited to come on board as title sponsor for this great Championship. Flogas has a long and rich tradition of supplying golf clubs and their members with LPG or Natural Gas requirements, so it felt right that we should invest something back in this great game.

"We operate on an all-Ireland basis, just like the Golfing Union of Ireland, and we are the only energy company that can offer all the benefits of gas to our commercial customers, whether they are on or off the Natural Gas grid.”

Flogas also recently announced their sponsorship of touring professional Cormac Sharvin, a former Ireland international who was runner-up at last year's Irish Amateur Open. The Flogas PGA Pro-Am, now in its second year, is supported by Flogas and run by the PGA Irish Region. This year's event is set for the Lough Erne Golf Resort on 30 May.