HERE’S SOME GOOD news.

The Irish Open will go ahead as scheduled next year – despite the trauma of losing the title sponsor 3 recently.

The 2011 Race to Dubai schedule will be released later today in Dubai with the showpiece Irish event set to be included.

According to Karl McGinty in this morning’s Irish Independent ‘the venue will appear on the schedule as TBA, but Ireland’s premier golf event will be staged from July 28 to July 31 for 2011.’

Said Keith Waters, Director of International Policy with the European Tour:

The Irish Open will go ahead because it is an integral event of the European Tour schedule and given also the exemplary strength of the Irish players on the Tour at the moment.

But it is early days yet as it was only recently that we were without a sponsor for next year, and obviously we hope to find another one. So yes, the Irish Open is continuing with full details to follow.

Fáilte Ireland’s head of communications Alex Connolly told the Irish Examiner that work is ongoing to confirm a venue after a successful stop in Killarney last summer.

I can confirm the Irish Open’s slot for next year will remain at the end of July and we’re currently working with the Tour on establishing where the venue would be and who the tournament would have as a sponsor. That work is ongoing but there’s nothing confirmed yet.

RTÉ Sport‘s Darren Frehill, speaking on Morning Ireland earlier, said that several contacts he spoke to today said that 3′s sudden departure from the scene caught organisers on the hop, essentially, and the event has to go ahead at this stage.

It’s a financial gamble that they will secure a title sponsor, he said.