Royal Co Down and Lough Erne to stage 2015 and 2017 Irish Opens

Northern Ireland venues Royal County and the Lough Erne Resort will stage the 2015 and 2017 Irish Open events.

The news is expected to be confirmed on Thursday afternoon at a news conference at Royal County Down.

This follows discussions, between the two clubs, the European Tour and the Northern Ireland Executive.

The Stormont Executive provided around £1.5 to help fund the 2012 Irish Open at Royal Portrush when the tournament returned to Northern Ireland for the first time in 59 years.