Northern Ireland Open (golf)

Black Desert NI Open
Tournament information
Location	Ballymena, Northern Ireland
Established	2010
Course(s)	Galgorm Castle Golf Club
Par	70
Length	7,105 yards (6,497 m)
Tour(s)	Challenge Tour; PGA EuroPro Tour; Clutch Pro Tour
Format	Stroke play
Prize fund	£250,000
Month played	July
Tournament record score
Aggregate	265 Ryan Fox (2016); 265 Calum Hill (2018)
To par	−19 as above
Current champion
	Conor Purcell
Location map
	Galgorm Castle GC Location in Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland Open is a professional golf tournament currently played on the Challenge Tour. It was played for the first time in June 2010 on the PGA EuroPro Tour at Galgorm Castle Golf Club in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. It also featured on the Clutch Pro Tour schedule from 2021 to 2023.

History

The tournament was founded in 2010 and featured on the PGA EuroPro Tour schedule.^[1] James Hepworth won the inaugural event.^[2]

In 2013, the event became part of the Challenge Tour schedule.^[3]

In 2017, the event was changed from 72 holes of stroke play to a "Super 6" style format. The format was similar to that used for the World Super 6 Perth. The main difference was that the 6-hole matches were determined by stroke play rather than match play. It retained the 156-player field, with the cut being made at the top-60 and ties after 36 holes. After 54 holes, the field was cut to a fixed 24. Ties for 24th place were determined by a sudden-death playoff. There were then five six-hole knock-out rounds on the final day. The leading eight after 54 holes received a bye in the first round. The remaining 16 were randomly paired. The six holes used on the final day were 17, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 18. There were a number of other matches for the minor places.^[4]

In 2018, the event reverted to 72-hole stroke-play.

The 2020 event returned to the Challenge Tour as the Northern Ireland Open with backing from The R&A.^[5] The tournament was played on the Clutch Pro Tour between 2021 and 2023,^[6] with the event returning to the Challenge Tour schedule in 2024.^[7] It was later confirmed in June 2024 that the Black Desert Resort in Utah (host of the Black Desert Championship on the PGA Tour) would become the title sponsor of the event.^[8]

Winners

Year	Tour(s)^[a]	Winner	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up
Black Desert NI Open
2024	CHA	Conor Purcell	267	−13	1 stroke	Joakim Lagergren
Northern Ireland Open
2023	CPT	Brandon Robinson-Thompson	201	−9	3 strokes	Daniel Smith
2022	CPT	Dermot McElroy	205	−8	7 strokes	Tim Rice
2021	CPT	John Murphy	135	−5	4 strokes	Dermot McElroy
2020	CHA	Tyler Koivisto	267	−13	2 strokes	Kristian Krogh Johannessen
2019: No tournament
Galgorm Resort & Spa Northern Ireland Open
2018	CHA	Calum Hill	265	−19	1 stroke	Scott Henry Stuart Manley
2017	CHA	Robin Sciot-Siegrist	20^[b]	−3	2 strokes	Alessandro Tadini
Tayto Northern Ireland Open
2016	CHA	Ryan Fox	265	−19	4 strokes	Dominic Foos Dylan Frittelli Max Orrin Bernd Ritthammer
Northern Ireland Open
2015	CHA	Clément Sordet	267	−17	1 stroke	John Hahn
Northern Ireland Open Challenge
2014	CHA	Joakim Lagergren	271	−13	1 stroke	Adrien Bernadet
2013	CHA	Daan Huizing	271	−13	Playoff	Oliver Wilson
Ulster Bank Open
2012	EPT	Paul Reed	204	−12	1 stroke	Elliot Saltman George Woolgar
Galgorm Castle Northern Ireland Open
2011	EPT	Chris Hanson	202	−14	Playoff	Graeme Clarke
2010	EPT	James Hepworth	201	−15	Playoff	Daniel Gaunt