Forty-seven players from overseas – including a 19-strong Spanish contingent – will play in the 136-player Irish Masters Open from this Friday to Sunday.
Participants from 11 different countries will join 89 Irish players at the Fitzwilliam in Dublin for the three-day event that gets going at 9am on Friday with a half dozen matches.
Those early risers include Michael Conlon, the No.1 MO70 seed (pictured above, second from right). He was a silver medallist at last weekend’s Lithuanian Masters following on from his silver at the European Masters in Wroclaw in August.
The 13 Dublin draws are spread across nine men’s and four women’s events, with Ireland having a total of eight No.1 seeded players.
The most popular event – with 29 players – is the MO50 where the start list includes No.1 seed Matthieu Benoit from France, a silver medallist at the European Masters.
Also taking part is Rob Staunton, Ireland’s bronze medallist in Poland (pictured above, right). Both players have received a round of 32 bye.
Austria’s David Grabenweger is the top-ranked MO35 player, and Ireland junior performance coach David Noone is seeded No.1 in the MO40.
Neil Macarron, the 2023 European champion in Hamburg, is No.1 in the MO45, Spain’s Ignacio Rodrigues the MO55 No.1, Ireland’s Willie Hosey the MO60 No.1, France’s Alain Gardette the MO65 No.1 and Ireland’s Michael McGrath the MO75 No.1.
In the women’s events, Maureen Duke, the recent Irish WO65 European bronze medallist in Wroclaw (pictured above, second left), is the WO60/65/70 No.1.
Ireland’s Josephine Grogan (WO55), France’s Maud Bailly (WO45/50) and Aoileann Ni Chomhrai (WO35/40), second in the recent Belgian Masters, are the other No.1 women seeds.
