“West” confirms one-off strokeplay edition for 2019

Count Sligo Golf Club, Rosses Point.

The West of Ireland Championship will be played as a 72-hole strokeplay event for the first time from April 4-7 next year before reverting to its traditional matchplay format in 2020.

The Championship Committee has approved the one-off change, which was County Sligo’s preferred option as it prepares to host the Irish Amateur Open in Rosses Point from May 16-19 as part of its 125th-anniversary celebrations.

The "West" is being held two weeks earlier than its traditional Easter date in order to leave a reasonable gap between the two championships.

Traditionally played from Good Friday to the following Tuesday, the first strokeplay staging in the event’s 97-year history will start on Thursday, April 4 with a 54-hole cut on Saturday, April 6 before the final round on Sunday, April 7. 

This will make it somewhat easier for working amateurs to find time to compete and give competitors who might be preparing for the Irish Amateur Open a chance to compete on the course under similar championship conditions with card and pencil in hand.

A date for the West of Ireland Championship pre-qualifying event will be confirmed following a club meeting on November 28.