Irish Open past winners: the full history

The Irish Open has moved around Ireland for almost a century, but its first home was Portmarnock in 1927. Scotland's George Duncan won that inaugural championship, beginning a winners list that would eventually include Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer, Pádraig Harrington, Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy.

There have also been long gaps. The tournament stopped during the Second World War, disappeared again for 1951 and 1952, then dropped off the calendar entirely after 1953 before returning in 1975. It has been played every year since that revival.

The 2026 Amgen Irish Open is currently being played at Trump International Golf Links, Doonbeg, so the complete winners list below runs through the last finished edition in 2025. If you're following the current tournament, our Irish Open betting guide covers Doonbeg, the field and the markets. For the wider sport, our golf betting in Ireland guide explains how outright, each-way and other golf markets work.

How did the Irish Open begin?

The first Irish Professional Open was staged at Portmarnock Golf Club in August 1927. George Duncan, already an Open Championship winner, finished one stroke clear of Henry Cotton.

The tournament moved quickly in its early years. Royal County Down hosted in 1928, Portmarnock took it back in 1929, Royal Portrush followed in 1930 and Royal Dublin in 1931. By the end of the decade, Cork, Malone and several of Ireland's best-known links had all appeared on the rota.

The Second World War stopped the championship from 1940 through 1945. Fred Daly won on its return at Portmarnock in 1946, followed by Harry Bradshaw at Royal Portrush in 1947.

The event then became intermittent. There was no tournament in 1951 or 1952, Eric Brown won the 1953 edition at Belvoir Park, and the Irish Open did not return again until 1975.

That 1975 comeback is the start of the modern run. Christy O'Connor Jnr won at Woodbrook and the tournament has remained part of the European Tour, now the DP World Tour, calendar ever since.

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Every Irish Open winner from 1927 to 2025

There have been 70 completed editions of the Irish Open through 2025. The 71st is being played at Doonbeg in 2026.

1927 to 1953

1975 to 2025

Who has won the Irish Open most often?

Four golfers share the record with three Irish Open titles each:

Faldo's run is the one nobody else has matched. He won three straight Irish Opens from 1991 through 1993, taking the first two at Killarney before winning at Mount Juliet.

Mark James, Ballesteros, Ian Woosnam and Montgomerie have all successfully defended the title across two consecutive years. No player has repeated since Montgomerie in 1996 and 1997.

One interesting detail is that none of the four record holders got all three victories at one course. Ballesteros won at Royal Dublin and Portmarnock. Faldo won at Killarney and Mount Juliet. Langer won at Royal Dublin, Portmarnock and Mount Juliet. Montgomerie won twice at Druids Glen before adding his third at Fota Island.

That matters when looking at Irish Open history. It is a tournament with a long roll of repeat champions, but it is not a tournament played on one permanent course.

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Which Irish golfers have won the Irish Open?

Players from Ireland and Northern Ireland have won nine of the 70 completed Irish Opens through 2025.

Lowry's win is the oddity on that list.

He arrived at County Louth in 2009 as a 22-year-old amateur playing his first DP World Tour event. A 62 during the week put him into contention, but he missed a short putt on the 72nd hole that would have won the tournament in regulation.

He then beat Robert Rock on the third play-off hole. Because Lowry was still an amateur, he could take the trophy but not the winner's prize money.

Harrington's victory two years earlier had broken a much longer drought. His play-off win over Bradley Dredge at Adare Manor in 2007 made him the first home winner since John O'Leary in 1982.

McIlroy has since won twice, both times at the K Club. He won by three in 2016, then returned in 2025 and produced one of the tournament's most dramatic finishes.

If you are interested in the smaller market built around these players rather than the outright tournament, our guide to the top Irish player market explains how that bet is settled.

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Why the 2025 finish was so unusual

Rory McIlroy's second Irish Open title came very close to disappearing on the 72nd hole.

Joakim Lagergren had eagled the 16th during a closing 66 and looked set to take the title at The K Club, Straffan, County Kildare. McIlroy reached the 18th needing something special and holed a 28-foot eagle putt to force a play-off.

Both made birdie on the first extra hole. They did the same when they played it again.

On the third extra hole, Lagergren found the water. McIlroy finally had the opening he needed and won with two putts.

It was his second Irish Open victory after 2016, also at the K Club.

The year before had produced a very different ending. McIlroy led Rasmus Højgaard by two with four holes remaining at Royal County Down, but Højgaard birdied four of his final five holes for a closing 65. McIlroy bogeyed the 17th and missed an eagle attempt on 18 that would have forced another play-off.

Højgaard won by one.

How common are Irish Open play-offs?

They are not rare.

Sixteen of the 70 completed editions through 2025 have required a play-off, beginning with Abe Mitchell's win at Portmarnock in 1929.

The modern run includes some major names:

• Seve Ballesteros over Bernhard Langer in 1985.
• Ian Woosnam over Philip Walton in 1989.
• Nick Faldo in both 1992 and 1993.
• Pádraig Harrington over Bradley Dredge in 2007.
• Shane Lowry over Robert Rock in 2009.
• Rory McIlroy over Joakim Lagergren in 2025.

Golf betting treats ties differently depending on the market. A play-off normally decides the outright champion, while dead-heat rules can apply to finishing-position and player-group markets. Our guide to golf each-way terms, Rule 4 and dead heats covers that distinction.

Which course has hosted the Irish Open most often?

Portmarnock is comfortably first.

It staged the inaugural tournament in 1927 and has hosted the Irish Open 19 times in total. Its last staging came in 2003, when Michael Campbell won a play-off against Thomas Bjørn and Peter Hedblom.

Royal Dublin has hosted six editions. Royal County Down and Mount Juliet have hosted five each.

The K Club has hosted three completed editions so far, in 2016, 2023 and 2025, and is already confirmed to get another turn in 2027.

Doonbeg is making its debut in 2026.

The constant movement is one of the things that separates Irish Open history from an event such as the Masters. A winner at exposed Royal County Down has solved a very different problem from a winner on the parkland Palmer North course at the K Club.

Our full guide to the Irish Open courses and venues explains those differences and why they matter when looking at form.

The Irish Open trophy

The trophy itself has a longer history than its current design.

Waterford Crystal has made Irish Open trophies since 1975, the year the tournament began its uninterrupted modern run.

The current trophy was commissioned in 2012. Waterford's craftspeople spent six weeks blowing, cutting and sculpting it at the company's Waterford City facility. The crystal sphere near the top is deliberately shaped as a reference to a golf ball.

It is one of the few pieces of the Irish Open that stays recognisably constant while the course changes around it.

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What can Irish Open history actually tell a bettor?

The first lesson is that venue matters.

The Irish Open has gone from true coastal links such as Portmarnock, Ballybunion and Royal County Down to parkland courses such as the K Club and Adare Manor, then back to an exposed Atlantic links at Doonbeg in 2026.

That makes simple "course history" harder to use than it is at tournaments played in the same place every year.

The second lesson is that repeat winners are real, but the best players have often repeated across different courses. Ballesteros, Faldo, Langer and Montgomerie did not need one specific venue to win three times.

The third is that home advantage is not a guarantee. Irish and Northern Irish players have won nine of the first 70 completed editions. McIlroy, Lowry and Harrington are all on the roll of honour, but most Irish Opens have still been won by visitors.

That is why historical results are better used as context than as a betting system. A past winner returning to a completely different course is not returning to the same test.

For the current tournament, the 2026 Irish Open betting guide looks specifically at what Doonbeg asks of the field rather than treating all previous Irish Open form as equal.

Frequently asked questions

Who won the Irish Open in 2025?

Rory McIlroy won the 2025 Irish Open at the K Club after a play-off against Joakim Lagergren.

McIlroy holed a 28-foot eagle putt on the 18th to force extra holes and won on the third play-off hole after Lagergren found the water.

Who has won the most Irish Opens?

Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer and Colin Montgomerie share the record with three wins each.

Faldo is the only golfer to win three consecutive editions, taking the title in 1991, 1992 and 1993.

When was the first Irish Open?

The first Irish Open was played at Portmarnock in 1927.

Scotland's George Duncan won by one stroke over Henry Cotton.

Has an amateur ever won the Irish Open?

Yes. Shane Lowry won at County Louth in 2009 while still an amateur.

He defeated Robert Rock on the third play-off hole on his DP World Tour debut. Because he was an amateur, Lowry did not collect the winner's prize money.

Which venue has hosted the Irish Open most often?

Portmarnock has hosted it 19 times, beginning with the inaugural championship in 1927 and most recently in 2003.

You can compare Portmarnock with Doonbeg, Royal County Down, the K Club and the other main hosts in our Irish Open course guide.

Has Rory McIlroy won the Irish Open?

Yes, twice.

McIlroy won at the K Club in 2016 and again in 2025. Both victories came on the same Palmer North course, although the second required a play-off.

Where is the 2026 Irish Open being played?

The 2026 Irish Open is being played at Doonbeg in County Clare from 10 to 13 September.

It is the first Irish Open staged there. Our 2026 Irish Open guide covers the current field and tournament setup.

Safer gambling

Past results can explain how the Irish Open has developed, but they do not predict the next winner. A golfer winning at one venue years ago does not make the same outcome likely on a different course.

Set your stake before betting and do not chase losses during the tournament.

If gambling is causing difficulty for you or someone you know, the National Gambling Helpline is free and confidential on 1800 936 725, 24 hours a day. You can also find support through GamblingCare.ie.