The Women’s Irish Open: a championship revived

The story behind the championship

The Women's Irish Open is a national championship with an interrupted history. Its modern roll begins in 1994, includes a break after 2003 and another after 2012, and resumes in 2022. That makes the event's survival and revival part of the story, alongside its champions. A visitor following it across Ireland will find a changing collection of hosts rather than a permanent home: the championship has moved between Dublin-area clubs, the north-west, Waterford, Kerry, the east coast, County Meath, Clare and Kildare.

This account follows the modern championship recognised by the organiser and the Ladies European Tour. Some independent databases also group earlier Northern Irish tournaments under a similar name. They are not silently added to the modern organiser's roll here. A complete history must explain its boundaries as carefully as it records its winners, especially where a familiar name has been used for competitions with different historical identities.

Starting with the official record

The LET's announcement of the 2022 return states that the championship had been held 15 times between 1994 and 2012. The organiser's past-champions page supplies the corresponding winners and venues. Together they establish a useful framework: a first run from 1994 to 2003, a return from 2008 to 2012, and a revival beginning in 2022. Missing years should appear as not held, rather than disappearing from a table.

The sources establish the gaps, but do not provide a verified explanation for every year of absence. It would be misleading to assign each cancellation to a named sponsor, financial dispute or venue problem without evidence. The clearest supported description is that the tournament was absent from the LET calendar. The later return is documented more fully, with an identified host and support from public bodies. Official champions roll; LET's revival announcement.

Laura Davies and the opening editions

Laura Davies won the first two editions of the modern championship, both at St Margaret's. Her name gives the opening years an immediate connection to an established figure in European women's golf. The consecutive victories also matter statistically: they belong to the championship's own record, rather than to the history of the men's Irish Open or to an amateur national title.

For a traveller, St Margaret's supplies a specific starting point. The history does not begin at Dromoland Castle simply because that venue hosted the revival, nor at the latest tournament course because its name appears on the current website. Following the championship backwards reveals a different geography. It also avoids a common trap in sports travel: treating today's tournament branding as though it describes an unchanged event with one permanent host. Organiser's roll.

A travelling championship in the 1990s

After the two St Margaret's editions, the modern roll moves to Citywest, where Alison Nicholas won in 1996, and Luttrellstown Castle, where Patricia Meunier-Lebouc won in 1997. Sophie Gustafson followed at Ballyliffin in 1998, before Sandrine Mendiburu won at Letterkenny in 1999. These places belong in the narrative because they show how quickly the event became a travelling championship.

The sequence gives a history-led visitor options beyond the most recent host. It does not mean that every old championship layout operates as it did in the 1990 s, or that a modern visitor can walk an old tournament route without checking access. Club identities, ownership, naming and course arrangements can change. Use the winners' record to establish the historical connection, then consult the club and current venue information for the visit itself. Official venue sequence; independent tournament database.

Faithlegg, Killarney and Gustafson's record

Faithlegg hosted the next two editions, won by Sophie Gustafson in 2000 and Raquel Carriedo in 2001. The championship then moved to Killarney, where Iben Tinning won in 2002 and Gustafson in 2003. The changing venues are useful markers because championship years are sometimes remembered only through a sponsor's name. A reader searching an old name needs to be able to reconnect it with the same competition.

Gustafson's later win in 2010 brought her modern championship tally to four. That makes her a central figure in this history, rather than merely one name in a long list. Her wins were spread across different hosts and separated by breaks in the tournament's existence. Reading the record that way highlights both sustained achievement by a player and the discontinuous life of the championship she won. Organiser's complete roll.

Portmarnock Links and the 2008 return

The championship returned in 2008 at Portmarnock Links, with Suzann Pettersen the winner. Diana Luna followed there in 2009. Historical names need particular care in this part of the record: the championship venue should not be confused with the separate Portmarnock Golf Club. A visitor booking a course visit or accommodation should establish which property is meant before using a familiar place name as a shortcut.

Independent records can help connect an older course name with its modern identity, but the organiser's wording remains useful evidence of how the host was described at the time. The same principle applies across the History section. A current commercial name can guide a reader towards the right place, while a clearly labelled historical name preserves the championship record. Neither needs to erase the other. Official 2008–09 entries; independent venue identification.

Killeen Castle's three champions

Killeen Castle hosted the 2010, 2011 and 2012 editions, won respectively by Sophie Gustafson, Suzann Pettersen and Catriona Matthew. The sequence brought together players with significant international careers, and it supplies another important chapter away from the tournament's later revival venues. It should remain visible even when the current event's promotional material concentrates on its latest home.

Matthew's 2012 victory became the last title before the next long absence. The LET's return announcement identifies her as the most recent champion when it introduces the 2022 event. That wording is more precise than describing the intervening years as a succession of unsuccessful defences. There was no championship to defend in those seasons. A results list should distinguish an absent tournament from a player who entered but did not win. Official champions; LET background.

The ten-year wait and Dromoland Castle

The return was announced for Dromoland Castle in September 2022. The LET described investment by the resort and support from the Irish Government and Clare County Council. Those details give the revival a concrete basis: it was a supported championship project with a named venue, rather than simply a date being restored to a calendar.

There is an error worth explaining in the retrospective record. The organiser's current past-champions page assigns the 2022 winner to Carton House. The contemporaneous LET announcement places the event at Dromoland, and independent final-round reports agree. The organiser's own 2026 report also recalls Leona Maguire's result at Dromoland in 2022. Dromoland is therefore used here, with the conflicting retrospective entry noted rather than copied unquestioningly. Historical accuracy means checking an official summary against the official evidence closest to the event. Contemporaneous host announcement.

Spilková wins the revival

Klára Spilková won the revived championship in a play-off against Ursula Wikström and Nicole Broch Estrup. The Irish Times' final-round account records all three on 274 and describes a large following for Leona Maguire. That result gave the new era a competitive finish rather than a ceremonial restart: the trophy still depended on extra holes after four rounds had failed to separate the leaders.

The play-off is also a useful reminder when planning to watch a final day. The published round does not guarantee the finishing time, and a close leaderboard can require additional golf. Historical examples explain the possibility; the current spectator guide explains how to plan around it. Spilková's title belongs to the returning championship's own sporting record, while the successful staging helped establish the basis for another edition at the same host. Independent final report; official winner roll.

Sønderby's extraordinary Sunday

Dromoland hosted again in 2023, when Smilla Tarning Sønderby produced a final-round 62 and then won a three-player play-off. Anne van Dam and Lisa Pettersson also reached extra holes, but Sønderby's eagle on the first play-off hole settled the championship. The LET's report supplies the sporting sequence; independent Irish coverage confirms the decisive eagle and the regulation total of 272.

It was a sharply different route to victory from controlling a tournament from the opening round. A player coming from further down the leaderboard can reach a target before the final groups finish, then return to the course when the scores are tied. For spectators, that makes watching only the overnight leaders an incomplete way to read a final day. The championship's recent history contains both dramatic recoveries and front-running wins, rather than one repeated pattern. LET final report; independent account.

Carton House and Annabel Dimmock

Carton House became the host in 2024. Annabel Dimmock won after a two-hole play-off against Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, securing her second LET title. The organiser's report identifies a par as sufficient on the second extra hole, while the tour's account places the success within Dimmock's return from injury and a five-year gap since her previous tour victory.

This is another place where course identification improves the history. Independent reporting names the O'Meara Course, rather than leaving the reader with only the resort name. A venue can contain more than one layout, and a championship connection applies to the course actually used. That distinction is useful when building a trip around the places where a favourite player won. It also prevents a historical article from implying that every course at the same resort hosted the same event. Organiser's report; LET's account.

An amateur winner in 2025

Lottie Woad won at Carton House in 2025 while still an amateur. Her six-stroke victory made a clear distinction between winning a professional tournament and being a professional golfer. Amateur status did not prevent her from taking the title; it affected the professional opportunities and prize-money questions surrounding the result.

The LET subsequently confirmed that Woad would turn professional and make her professional debut at the Women's Scottish Open. Its announcement explicitly connects that opportunity with her Irish victory. The championship therefore belongs in the history of a player moving into the paid game, not merely in a list of national-open winners. Her success also gives readers a route between this page, the amateur histories and the Women's Scottish Open guide, without treating different competitions as interchangeable stages of the same tournament. LET announcement; independent result.

Alexander at The K Club in 2026

The latest completed edition moved to the Palmer South Course at The K Club. Casandra Alexander won after leading throughout the tournament, finishing on 268, three strokes ahead of Sara Kouskova. Her opening 63 established the position from which she went on to claim the title. The final round included two opening bogeys, followed by a recovery rather than the disappearance of her lead.

The organiser's report and the Irish Times agree on the winner, course and margin. Their accounts give the championship a different ending from the play-offs of 2022, 2023 and 2024: the leading player completed a regulation victory. That variety is part of the tournament's appeal. Recent editions have offered an amateur breakthrough, a comeback from injury, a low final-round charge and a sustained front-running performance. Official final report; independent score report.

Connect the story with a visit

Use the Women's Irish Open hub for the current host and confirmed arrangements, then choose a base through the relevant venue and where-to-stay guides. The historical list is a route into Ireland's golfing landscape, but it does not promise future hosting dates. A former championship course may suit a separate visit, while the practical demands of a tournament day may favour accommodation elsewhere. Check the exact course, the current event entrance and the available transport before booking. The championship's changing homes make that small piece of preparation especially worthwhile.

Every champion and year not held

The 2022 venue

The returning championship in 2022 was played at Dromoland Castle, as the contemporary LET report confirms. A later organiser champions page labels it Carton House; the contemporary result takes precedence here.

Sources and useful official links

• Confirmed: official winner roll
• Confirmed: Contemporaneous host announcement
• Reported: independent venue identification
• Reported: Independent final report
• Confirmed: LET final report
• Reported: independent account
• Confirmed: Organiser's report
• Confirmed: LET's account
• Confirmed: LET announcement
• Confirmed: independent result
• Confirmed: Official final report
• Reported: independent score report

Useful reading for your visit

• KPMG Women’s Irish Open 2027
• Where to stay for the Women’s Irish Open at Dun Laoghaire
• Golf history, where it happened

Visit today

• Dun Laoghaire Golf Club visitor guide
• KPMG Women’s Irish Open 2027
• Where to stay for the Women’s Irish Open at Dun Laoghaire

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