Thu. Dec 5th, 2024

Ballyneety Golf Course to host two days of Junior Ryder Cup in 2027 

ByAoife McDarby

Monday, 25 November 2024, 20:23 , , ,
Ballyneety golf club. Credits: Kieran Ryan Benson
Speaking on behalf of Ballyneety Golf Club, Kieran Ryan-Benson stressed that this wouldn’t be possible without the support of club members

Ryder Cup Europe has announced that two days of the 2027 Junior Ryder Cup will be taking place at Ballyneety Golf Course in Limerick. Ballyneety Golf Course will host the first two days of the event including foursomes and fourballs between male and female juniors from Europe and the United States in 2027.

The decisive single matches will then take place in Adare Manor in Limerick. The day before the Ryder Cup takes place at Ballyneety Golf Course they will be an exciting curtain raiser to golf’s greatest team contest. 

Ballyneety, co-designed by 2014 Ryder Cup Vice-Captain Des Smyth, is set on 183 acres of rolling Irish countryside and the exceptional parkland layout offers breathtaking views over Limerick County. 

Junior Ryder Cup Match Director, Edward Kitson said: “Ballyneety Golf Club will be a magnificent host for the Junior Ryder Cup in 2027. The venue offers one of the finest parkland golfing experiences in Ireland, and the next generation of golfing superstars will relish the opportunity to compete on the champion-standard layout” 

Preparations are well underway at the Ballyneety golf course. The golf course will undertake a revamp in the new year in preparation for the Ryder Cup while Jessica Leamy will supervise the transformation of the course’s clubhouse. The dressings rooms are also set to be transformed ahead of the event. A new drainage system has been put in place on the course by Walter Shannon and the course is also taking part in a tree planting scheme to ensure the course is kept as environmentally friendly as possible.  

“This is an absolute legacy that will last a lifetime, Ballyneety will be known for holding the Junior Ryder Cup and this will inspire young people to take on the sport” says Kieran Ryan-Benson, who was heavily involved in the tournament bid.

The Junior Ryder Cup has produced a plethora of golfing stars and the best male and female junior amateurs from Europe and the United States will once again go head-to-head in the mixed event. Rory McIlroy, Nicolai Højgaard and Nicolas Colsaerts, the 2023 European Ryder Cup Vice-Captain, all triumphed in the junior event before also winning the Ryder Cup, while Suzanne Peterson, Carlota Ciganda, Leona Maguire and Emily Kristine Pedersen played in the event as amateurs before lifting the Solheim Cup. 

John Leamy, General Manager of Ballyneety Golf Club, said: “It is a true honour for Ballyneety Golf Club to host the 2027 Junior Ryder Cup. This tournament represents not only a celebration of skill and dedication to the game, but also an opportunity to showcase the spirit of our community and the beauty and quality of our Championship course. We are looking forward to welcoming the world’s top emerging golf talent to compete on one of Ireland’s finest parkland courses.”