McIlroy's Foundation to Host 2015 Irish Open


Rory McIlroy's charitable group, the Rory Foundation, will serve as the host of the European Tour's Irish Open in 2015. The foundation will sponsor next year's event, which will be held at Royal County Down in his native country of Northern Ireland.

"Since making my debut in 2005, the Irish Open has always been a special tournament to me," the top-ranked player in the world said in a statement. "I am excited to be partnering with George O'Grady and the European Tour, especially for next year's tournament at Royal County Down."

Royal County Down is where the 25-year-old Ulsterman made his final appearance as an amateur, in the 2007 Walker Cup. The USA edged the Great Britain & Ireland team that year by a score of 12½ to 11½, with McIlroy's record in the team event 1-2-1.

The Rory Foundation was established in 2013 to raise funds for children's charities worldwide. In his role as host of next year's Irish Open, McIlroy will play while recruiting other world-class players and assist in developing the event's commercial and sponsorship activities.

This week McIlroy is the star player on the 2014 European Ryder Cup team, which takes on the Americans at Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland. The opening matches in the three-day, biennial competition start Friday.