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DUBAI DUTY FREE IRISH OPEN HOSTED BY THE RORY FOUNDATIONJuly 9, 2017Keith PelleyPortstewart, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland John Treacy, Chief Executive, Sport Ireland Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman & CEO Dubai Duty Free Keith Pelley, Chief Executive, European Tour Barry Funston, Chief Executive, the Rory Foundation John Farren, General Manager, Ballyliffin Golf Club KEITH PELLEY: It's terrific to be in Ireland and to talk to so many of you and to have such a great turnout and seeing Rory's press conference and seeing the pictures from there is a true tribute to the way this country certainly supports our great game. And thanks to everyone at Portstewart. This is the first time I've been here, and it's absolutely outstanding, the entire region. What's really been interesting for me, and again, I talk about the great appreciation for our wonderful game, but driving from Bushmills, which is where we're staying, past Portrush and past Portstewart, yes, you see the iconic golf courses, the 18-hole golf courses. But you see, as our driver was talking about, the little wee golf courses, the pitch-and-putts, and that, to somebody who has all of my love and admiration of the short game, it's terrific to see and certainly characterises the region's love for the game so wonderfully well. As you can see, Scott is talking from the Rolex podium. It's fantastic to have our third Rolex Series event here at Portstewart. It's been a terrific week, once again. The strength of the field has continued to soar in Rolex Series events, and again next week at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, where once again, the field will surpass that of last year. So that's four in a row, and we're absolutely thrilled with where the Rolex Series is headed. But we're here to announce that the Ballyliffin Golf Club will host the 2018 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Hosted By The Rory Foundation. It is absolutely a stunning place. I had the great privilege of visiting John on Friday. Went up there, played the golf course, took my time, because I thought I'd take as many shots to experience all facets of the golf facility, and I certainly did that. Fantastic, 36 holes. And then I drove around the region and visited the hotels. What I really believe, not only is the golf course spectacular, but the support that we will receive from the region, I know similar to what we received here at Portstewart, and Donegal will definitely put on a great show and support us in every possible way. And this is a tribute to John and his vision, and he can talk about that, who has been talking to us about coming up there and hosting the tournament; and Colm McLoughlin from Dubai Duty Free and Barry Funston from The Rory Foundation. And then when Rory and I sat down some months ago and started talking about it, he loves Ballyliffin, and when you come into balance I live en, you see a big picture with Rory, and I think it's with Nick Faldo. I know there's a lot of work that has been done on the golf course. There's one tee box that John made sure he left a cart for me at the third hole and made sure that I drove up to see this tee box. Now, unfortunately, it was a little wet, and as I was coming down, the brakes kind of locked up a little bit, and so need a little bit of replacement in one of the fences on the new tee boxes, so I do apologize profusely for that, John. The date is July 5-8. As I said, the area will embrace it. Early bird tickets are already on sale, and there will be full details obviously in the press release. So that's what we wanted to announce. I want to thank obviously Colm McLoughlin and everybody at Dubai Duty Free for their unwavering support of going to Ballyliffin, and also the tournament and elevating it to another level. I think Barry Funston and everything that has been done at The Rory Foundation makes this tournament absolutely special. Thank you to John from Sport Ireland, appreciate that. And John, of course, from Ballyliffin, as well as Rory McIlroy, who is not here. Rory, combined with Colm and Barry and Rolex, has made this event very, very special. I've worked with athletes for 25 years, and I've never seen anybody that is more giving with his time, giving to the community. And to have his name associated with this tournament is something that we are privileged and proud of, and we do not take it for granted, to have a world-class athlete like Rory McIlroy supporting our tour and doing what he does for The Rory Foundation is spectacular. We couldn't be happier. We're in a great space right now at The European Tour and really looking forward to going to Ballyliffin, so thanks to everybody. SCOTT CROCKETT: Executive vice chairman and CEO, Dubai Duty Free, Colm McLoughlin. COLM McLOUGHLIN: Good morning, as you said, I'm Colm McLoughlin from Dubai Duty Free. If we just go back in a little bit of time, we saw that The Irish Open was in a very bad space a number of years ago, and we took on the title sponsorship as a test case for one year. We found it very, very successful and we were very happy to renew our contract for three years, and we are locked in until next year, and then we go to Ballyliffin. My previous visits to Donegal, I remember when I worked at the Duty Free at Shannon Airport and we sold hand-knit sweaters, and that was the last time I was in Donegal. And then happy and sad to say that I was in the duty free industry 48 years ago. But the reason we are doing this, of course, is to promote Dubai Duty Free. It's the reason that we said this would become the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open if we were involved. And my own story, which you didn't ask me about, but I went to Dubai in 1983. I went for six months with a team of people to set up the Duty Free there. And I liked it so much; I was asked to stay. I agreed to stay for two years, and I still haven't finished the job because I'm now there 34 years. We employ 6,000 people and we have become the single-largest duty-free operation in the world, and I'm very pleased about that. I'm also very pleased to be involved in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open. I'm extremely happy with The European Tour. I'm extremely happy that we are partnered, if you like, with the Rory Foundation, because as you all know the Rory McIlroy story, and of course I concur with it. We have with us this week our own team Sinead El Sibai and three of our staff, who are mainly the reason why our Duty Free is successful, our team and staff. We have 265 staff who worked with us more than 25 years, and our business this year will be just short of $2 billion. We have in our chalet and working for us in relation to our golf tournament, a former touring pro, Des Smyth, who was one of the main Irish names a number of years ago. Des has won on Tour six times, and has won on the Senior Tour in America on three different occasions, and is now doing a fantastic job for Dubai Duty Free during the staging of the golf tournament. I'm happy to be here. If anybody thinks of any question for me; I love the bit Keith said about the small golf courses. I used to play golf fairly good, but now it's the short ones I can manage, nothing else. I'm happy to be here, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you very much indeed. SCOTT CROCKETT: Thank you very much, and Barry Funston to say a few words on behalf of The Rory Foundation. Barry FUNSTON: Thank you. To say that we are thrilled that this tournament is going to go to Ballyliffin would be an understatement. We had a vision with The Irish Open in partnership with Dubai Duty Free and Keith Pelley from the European Tour to have the tournament grow in stature and to tour Ireland. To be bringing it to the northwest really pleases us, so we're delighted about that. The whole purpose of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Hosted By the Rory Foundation, as far as Rory's foundation is concerned, is to project the platform for positive change and to deliver meaningful and impactful change to children who really are terribly disadvantaged. This is the third year of doing that, and it continues to grow and grow and grow, and the partnerships we have, with all the commercial partners in the Irish Open, with Dubai Duty Free particularly, now Rolex, really, really make a difference to children's lives. When Rory kind of wandered off, having missed the cut and was a little down for a short period of time, and then he realised what a difference this tournament makes to his foundation and the charities we choose to help; it kind of lifted him again. So that's the focus for us. We know that we're going to be able to help the region when we get up to Ballyliffin, so we're really looking forward to July next year. SCOTT CROCKETT: Speaking on behalf of Sport Ireland, the Chief Executive, John Treacy. JOHN TREACY: Good morning, everyone. The government of Ireland, again providing support for The Irish Open next year through Fáilte Ireland and ourselves, Sport Ireland, it's a considerable investment, a million Euro, that we'll continue to invest in The Irish Open, and it's very welcomed of course. And it's now proven to be very successful with the support of The European Tour and the Rory Foundation, and Dubai Duty Free, really, really very supportive. From Sport Ireland's perspective, we're heavily involved with the amateur game, and we provide support into our golf trust. Des Smyth was mentioned and Des is chair of our golf trust and he's helping the pro-Am tomorrow to raise funds for that. From Sport Ireland's perspective, we're heavily involved in the amateur game, supporting our young professionals as they try to make it into the sporting ranks. The Irish Open is hugely important from a sporting perspective because it's part of our fabric of sport in the country. We're delighted that it's been kept going, and supported and we have sponsorship on board now. We need it in terms of our top players should have the opportunity to compete at home in top competition, and our up and coming professionals should also have that opportunity. There is nothing like getting into the heat of battle on the home turf, and it raises everyone's game. So I just want to congratulate Ballyliffin for hosting the tournament next year, and I wish them the very, very best of luck. SCOTT CROCKETT: General manager of the host venue of the 2018 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, John Farren, to say a few words. JOHN FARREN: Ballyliffin Golf Club, we're delighted that finally the best-kept secret in Irish golf is out. This has been many years in the making, not just over the last ten, but maybe 20, 30 years, the development of the club. We've come from a remote, rural village in Donegal to probably one of the best links complexes in the world, and we're absolutely delighted at the vote of confidence from The European Tour and their partners in giving us this huge opportunity to showcase Ballyliffin, showcase Donegal and Derry and the region on a world stage to an event now which has become one of the premiere golfing events in the golfing calendar in the world. I'd like to thank Keith, Barry and Colm and everyone associated with bringing this to fruition. As Keith has alluded to, Rory has been very supportive in getting this to where it is today, but I'd also like to acknowledge others that have helped in the past, particularly James Finnegan. Worked with James many years ago in 2008. It seems like only yesterday, James, but that was a testing of the water for Ballyliffin with the Irish Seniors Open. We're delighted to have got this over the line, and can assure you that Ballyliffin will leave no stone unturned in terms of getting this to what it has to be, and hopefully we'll exceed everyone's expectations in terms of what we can deliver. Our location makes Ballyliffin a very unique setting for The Irish Open. We are a border region, so we're very much working in partnership with agencies on both sides of the border. I think that's good for The Irish Open, because it is an all-Ireland product. International visitors come into this country, and they don't see boarders, and it's important that that's emphasised to our hosting of the national events. Also at this point I'd like to congratulate our close neighbours Portstewart on hosting a fantastic event this year. We're part of a marketing group with Portstewart and Portrush, Northwest Coast Links do a fantastic job marketing Ballyliffin throughout the world and we look forward to marketing Ballyliffin further on the back of bringing a successful Irish Open to the region. It can't be underestimated the impact that Barry alluded to that this will make in the local economy and the local community. And I'm delighted to say that the people of Donegal and Derry have really got behind us, are really enthusiastic. The rumours have been out there for some time but certainly the support and the genuine gusto behind making this a success is there. Be assured, we will deliver. The north coast of Ireland is now firmly established as one of the premiere destinations in world golf because of obviously what's coming down the line with Royal Portrush in 2019. Portstewart this year hosting a fantastic Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, and the news today that Ballyliffin will host it next year. So things are looking very positive for a region that has long been neglected. This, again, will break a lot of glass stadiums for Donegal and the western seaboard in terms of the confidence that's been shown by The European Tour in bringing an event to what many would regard being a remote, isolated destination. But we like to feel that we are the centre of the universe, and we hope to showcase it in that manner next year. So again, thank you for the vote of confident. Glashedy Links is one of our two links in Ballyliffin, The Old Links being the other. Both standard championship links. We have working with our esteemed architect, who I believe should be in the area, Pat Ruddy, endeavoured to put our best foot forward in anticipation of getting the event this year. So I'd like to acknowledge Pat and the work he's done on his nearest and dearest. You mightn't get him to admit it publically but Pat regards Glashedy Links as some of his best work. I think I've gone on long enough. But once again, a big thank you to everyone involved. Be assured that the people of Donegal and Derry and the agencies on both sides of the border will put their shoulder to the wheel and make this an unforgettable Irish Open in 2018. SCOTT CROCKETT: Thank you very much. Q. John, can you tell us how many visitors, hotel rooms and accommodation facilities there are or there will be available? JOHN FARREN: Yeah, this has been gone into in great detail. Derry is our closest major centre of accommodation, and there's around four and a half thousand bed nights available there per night, and Inishowen itself has another three and a half thousand. So in terms of accommodation, it's there. We will deliver. Donegal is full of plenty of holiday homes, and the capacity is there, no problem at all. In terms of infrastructure, I think the Tour visited a number of times, facilities at Ballyliffin were lucky in terms of we have plenty of areas for parking, staging and I think we have everything in place. Q. Can you talk about Rory McIlroy and his relationship with Ballyliffin and the role he played. JOHN FARREN: From a very early stage it was evidence that Rory McIlroy was going to be the real deal. Rory first came to Ballyliffin in 2005 for our scratch Cups and he and his father, Gerry, attended every scratch cup until he turned professional. Rory played in a successful interprovincial Ulster and provincial team there in 2006, and we made him an honorary member, just prior to him turning professional and he was 16 at the time. So Rory was part of the Faldo Series and came to Ballyliffin for a week and just coincided with the revamping of The Old Links by Nick Faldo in 2006. So both Rory and Nick played in the opening fourball for the re-designed Old Links. So he has a long association, and both he and his father have a great love for Ballyliffin and the area. He's always spoken very highly of us and we're grateful for that, because you know, as you are well aware, every little bit of positive news helps. Q. The Irish Open has not been to Dublin in some time. Are Dublin people being shortchanged, and do you have plans to bring The Irish Open back in that area shortly? KEITH PELLEY: I think the choices of locations in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland; there are a plethora of great golf courses, and that's, again, a great tribute to Ireland. The decision regarding the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Hosted and where it goes on an annual basis is something that we do collectively. We do it with our friends at Dubai Duty Free, we do it with our friends at The Rory Foundation and we do it with Rory McIlroy. The one thing that we have started to move towards, and as you can see, this date has changed, and this is the first time that we have been back-to-back with the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open; and I think it was something that we talked about, probably really close to when I got here, is moving it into this date, based on weather, based on proximity to The Open Championship. And then with the possibility as we are starting to play now on links golf courses, so the likes of someone like Jon Rahm who is a perfect example, can come over here and play the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open and get ready for The Open Championship next week, I think he's going to Spain to visit his family and then he is prepared. And obviously these two weeks, we are the dominant tour in golf from a world ratings perspective, from an audience size worldwide. It is something that we're very, very proud of. And we always have to keep in mind that the No. 1 priority is finding a golf course that can host it, is a terrific golf course that the players will appreciate and we have that here at Portstewart and we have that next year at Ballyliffin. So there are a lot of golf courses to choose from both in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, and it's something we do collectively. So I can't tell you where we're going after 2018, but the most important thing is that we find a proper golf course that can host it like Portstewart has done and where players rave about all week long. Q. Could you quantify the economic impact to a region like the Ballyliffin area and in general of hosting The Irish Open? KEITH PELLEY: I think that would probably be a better question for John or John, but I can tell you that what I have seen here this week, and what I expect to see in Donegal, I think will be significant. And when you look at -- and we were talking about it just when I got up there on Friday, we were saying -- I think there's four really nice, nice hotels in Donegal, and I hope to be staying at the Ballyliffin Lodge; get that in there now (laughter). But there are so many great homes that no doubt people will want to rent their homes. And when you look at -- and this is not a comparison but just a little example. When you go down to Augusta at the Masters, the entire community rallies around that event. Everybody tries to rent their home to the thousands that are coming in and working on the event or media, and it is a real, real boost to the invested community, and it has changed it dramatically. And I think you have the potential to do that when we bring our events, such as the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open to somewhere like Ballyliffin, and that's something that we're excited about. And for, again, for a superstar, and like Rory, and the foundation to come to that region, I think is not only an economic boost but I believe it is a motivational boost for the entire community. But I can't comment the exact economics financially. You two are better off to do that. JOHN FARREN: The estimated economic impact of an Irish Open, a Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, to a region is about $100 million in the week alone. But the major benefit that we see is the scale of this event now, it's one of the premiere golf events in the world. It's going into 420 million homes, the TV coverage is phenomenal. The opportunity to showcase not just Ballyliffin but Donegal and Derry and the region is invaluable to us. So the economic impact is one thing for the particular week that the event is there, but the long-term return on the investment that the area is making in bringing the event to Ballyliffin is I am measurable. COLM McLOUGHLIN: From Dubai Duty Free's perspective, and when we assessed -- and the reason we're involved is to promote Dubai and promote our business, and we assessed that last year the value media-wise was in excess of $100 million, if we had to go and buy that advertising, which is why we're involved in the first place. It's also worth noting that there were in excess of 22,000 people visiting here yesterday, and I think the count for the week so far is over 72,000. And in comparison to other tournaments, that's very good. Q. I think given the status of the tournament both financially and in the run-up to The Open Championship, we probably would have expected a few more American players here this week. It is the week of the Fourth of July, I don't know whether you plan on having fireworks next year, but is there any way we could get more Americans attracted to what is a very substantial tournament now? KEITH PELLEY: Well, if you look at it -- we can just call it the American flag. The world-class, top-20 players have multiple choices where they want to play every single week, week-in and week-out. As you know, all of the top players that are playing this week, are playing here. The top player that's playing on the U.S. tour is the 21th-ranked player in the world. That to me is an astonishing accomplishment, and I think that we need to celebrate who is here. When you look at the field that we have assembled here for the Rolex Series event, when you look at the world rating points compared to last year; when you look at the No. 2 player in the world is here; I'm absolutely thrilled with the field. If, in fact, some of the U.S. players do want to come over, they all are invited. I think we have been surprised how quick the Rolex Series has taken off in year one. I think it has elevated the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open to a whole new level. You can see the way that the players are treated here. You can see the village. You can see the design elements. We couldn't be happier. Hopefully, hopefully more top players will want to come and play these events. If you listen to Jon Rahm's Instagram this morning when he talked about how the Irish fans have embraced him; players talk about great golf courses, great golf experiences, coming to fantastic locations, which is one of the great benefits that we have on The European Tour. We play in 27 different countries. Now we're going to go to the tip of Ireland, and that is just an unbelievable experience. Last week I know Jon Rahm came and spend hours in the Palace of Versailles. These are things that you can't do in America. What I believe is that we need your help, and again, in communicating what wonderful places that we play in. But yeah, we're absolutely thrilled with who is here and who is playing this week. COLM McLOUGHLIN: And our staff have delayed our flights by one day to go visit the Titanic museum in Belfast on Monday. KEITH PELLEY: That's a perfect example. It again is showcasing and communicating to all of the players about coming over to Europe and having just a wonderful, different experience. Q. John Farren, congratulations. You've been here all week. Is there anything in the setup here that has surprised you or that you might have overlooked when you were planning this event at Ballyliffin? JOHN FARREN: Nothing I'm going to admit to you, Dermot. (Laughter). No, obviously it's a very impressive setup. The Tour, it's almost a 52-week year now that the Tour operates. They bring a lot to the town. Effectively it's a large town coming into a large town for the week of the event. We're not intimidated and we're relishing the challenge and we're blessed in that we have space in Ballyliffin. I think that any obstacles that are there will be overcome, and I look forward to working with Simon Alliss and his team in delivering the tournament next year. But to answer your question, no, I don't believe anything is insurmountable. Q. John, I know that Donegal is a very big county and several different counties almost within Donegal, when you go north to the beginning of the peninsula, it's almost like an independent republic but it; snot always has had the prosperity that other parts of the country have had, pretty high unemployment. What will The Irish Open do for your part of the world? Obviously it's a huge thing and it's the biggest thing that's going to happen to your part of the world and it's something that is absolutely necessary. JOHN FARREN: Well, proportionally the impact of an Irish Open coming to an area like Inishowen is going to be way more significant than bringing it to somewhere like The K Club, or even to Portstewart here. Ballyliffin, we are tourism dependent and we are a border region. So for a long time, we struggled through the troubles where people weren't coming north. Thank God all that's behind us. This will open a lot of doors that have been closed for a long time. Like we're probably 30 years behind in terms of marketing and focus internationally when you compare us to the southwest of Ireland. But we're catching on very quickly, and events such as this week, Portrush in 2019 and ourselves in 2018 will bring the focus of international attention right back to the north coast. It will make a far more significant impact in our region than it would in most throughout the country. Q. It was speculated or rumoured that with the Rolex Series, the possibility might be open that The Irish Open and The Scottish Open could switch weeks in alternate years. Is there any truth whatsoever with that? Obviously would have an impact possibly on the field, too. Is that something that's been thought about? KEITH PELLEY: I think it was a monumental move and one that when we worked with the Rory Foundation and Dubai Duty Free to actually move them back and forth, back-to-back and I think you're seeing the success of that this week. Currently right now, we have a great partner in Aberdeen Asset Management, and we have a contract with them and that contract stipulates that it will -- the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open will appear before The Open Championship. Can that change down the road? Possibility. But right now, we're just excited that two of the greatest golfing countries in the world are back-to-back and supporting the Rolex Series. It could happen down the road but not on our radar right now. Q. The way the rotation has been going between north and south, The Irish Open is due to be back in Northern Ireland in 2019. Obviously The Open championship is taking place just down the road in Portrush. Is it going to be a challenge in 2019 for The Irish Open to retain the focus and attention with The Open Championship also being there and not live in its shadow? KEITH PELLEY: I think Royal Portrush will do a terrific job for The Open Championship in 2019. We definitely have to be conscious of that; when we get into those discussions, and we've had some preliminary discussions right now, but I think we have to be prudent to make sure that the location is not right beside Royal Portrush, just to put pressure on that particular region and the fans. And plus, as Barry alluded to, the idea is to showcase this wonderful event and The Rory Foundation to as many people that can touch it all across Ireland. And so that's what we will try to do. But right now, we're looking forward to 2018, and we'll discuss 2019 and give you information in due course. Q. Where do you stand with your partners to look at future venues? What are the criteria, and where does going to a links golf course fit in that pecking order, given your position in the calendar so close to The Open Championship. KEITH PELLEY: It was a strategy that we thought was a good one. It can always change, because like I said, there are so many wonderful golf courses in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Lots to choose from, lots of great parkland courses as you know. But right now the links strategy seems to make a lot of sense. With three back-to-back with the Dubai duty Irish Open hosted by The Rory Foundation and the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open and then we have The Open Championship, that's three played on links courses, gives our players the best opportunity to prepare for The Open Championship. And that's something that we've even talked to Martin Slumbers out with the R&A. Colm and I have had a long conversation about it, and Barry and Rory. So that's the strategy with links. However, like I said, could it ever revert back, could we play on a parkland course? Absolutely. And as I said, it is a collaborate decision that we make with all of our partners. But the most important thing is, and it always starts with the quality of the golf course, and then the commitment from the golf course and then the commitment from the region. Because our players, and especially in the Rolex Series, we want to play these events on the best possible golf courses. Like I said, that gives us a lot of choice here in Ireland. So that really didn't give you a great answer, other than to tell you that it's the best golf courses we want to play on in the regions that will support it and the golf courses that really want it. And Ballyliffin is a perfect example of that: Great golf course, region that will support it and Ballyliffin and all of them, you can see they are all here, the president, the captain, secretary, the director of golf, all really, really wanted it there, and that's important. COLM McLOUGHLIN: I know it's a very sensitive thing to say but the test of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open suited Dubai Duty Free because we are also sponsors of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, which was at the Curragh last week. So this week suited Dubai Duty Free ideally, but of course I'm only saying that for information. It's not a deciding factor in any way. Q. Can I just go back to what you said about the contract with the Scottish Open, does that go as far as 2019, or is that a year when we could see potentially The Irish Open the week before The Open Championship? KEITH PELLEY: Currently as I said that we have a contract with one of our great partners, Aberdeen Asset Management. We don't talk about the length of the contract. I just wanted to give you complete transparency. But you know, anything -- Martin Gilbert is a great friend of the Tour. At that particular time when that came in, that was before the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open was in this spot, before we had Rory involved and the Foundation involved. There might be a benefit for both sides to move it back and forth, but for the foreseeable future, that's not the plan. Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open will be before The Open Championship. Q. You mentioned Jon Rahm came here to play as preparation for The Open. What do you think you need to add to bring players to play just for the event, not European preparation for The Open? KEITH PELLEY: To bring in for? Q. For the event. Just Irish Open. KEITH PELLEY: I think you continue to do what we are now doing with the Rolex Series events. This is the first year, and when you look at the BMW PGA Championship, the field was significantly stronger. And again, it comes back to what I said earlier, the golf course has to be there and the golf course at Wentworth is very strong now. You look at the HNA Open de France, this year the field was significantly stronger than last year, and last year The Open de France had Rory McIlroy. And this year the field is stronger here at Portstewart. Next week it will be stronger at Dundonald. As you do with many things, you have to put on the best event that gives world-class players a choice. You have to understand that the top players in the world are only going to play 22 to 24 times a year, and when you take out the majors and the WGCs and then you look at all the choices that they have, there's a lot. And so this now with the help of our partners and with the help of Rolex, we've been able to elevate this event from television perspective significantly enhanced technology in our television coverage, more television coverage, increased distribution across multiple platforms with all our content and elevated village and a good-looking feel and design that makes it look like a big event, a higher-prize purse of 7 million, and the way that we have treated the players, more fan engagement. So it starts by having an unbelievable, terrific event, and giving the players a choice, and I think we've done that here. Q. I saw, Colm, you were quoted during the week saying that by 2020 you might like to see a ten million Euro prize fund for this event. Why is that so funny and is there any truth to it? COLM McLOUGHLIN: I just said that yesterday or the day before to put Keith Pelley on the spot. But that's the way things go. When Dubai Duty Free first became involved in this tournament, the prize fund was 1. 5 million Euro. Then it went to 2, then 4 million Euro. And now it's 7 million U.S. dollars and that's all because of the Rolex Series and The European Tour organisation; Dubai Duty Free was being smart alec-y yesterday or the day before in saying ten million. Yes, it's up there and it could happen sometime. KEITH PELLEY: I would say anything is possible, and to say exactly what Colm said, if we had sat here two years ago and said we're going to have eight events on our tour that are at 7 million and Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Hosted By the Rory Foundation was going to move to 7 million, I think you would have -- you might have looked at me a little strangely. So I think that we want to continue to build great tournaments, build our tournaments in the Rolex Series and continue to increase the prize fund, increase our fan engagement and increase the quality of the event. Q. Is there a minimum -- KEITH PELLEY: Is there a minimum, no, because this year the DP World is higher and Nedbank is 7.5. Our goal is to have a minimum threshold to be part of the Rolex Series and try to grow them all. But no, if, in fact, we wanted to move this event higher or we wanted to do that, it would be part of an overall strategy of the Tour. But it's definitely feasible and nothing -- I really don't ever put the word not possible in a phrase together, because anything is. SCOTT CROCKETT: Thank you very much. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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