Michael Bannon will be recognised by the IGWA for Distinguished Services to Golf for his impeccable trajectory as a PGA professional.<\/p>\n
A member of the PGA since 1981, Michael won 20 PGA region events before dedicating himself to teaching.<\/p>\n
After starting as an assistant at Ardglass, he moved first to Holywood Golf Club as head professional and has coached Rory McIlroy since he was eight years old.<\/p>\n
He moved to Bangor GC in 1999 and McIlroy followed him there, going on to become world number one for the first time in 2012.<\/p>\n
He has since helped McIlroy win 45 times as a professional, including five Major championship titles \u2014 the US Open (2011), the US PGA (2012 & 2014), The Open Championship (2014) and the Masters Tournament (2025).<\/p>\n
Following the cancellation of the 2024 awards due to Storm \u00c9owyn, last season\u2019s winners – Sara Byrne (2024 Women\u2019s Amateur), Max Kennedy (2024 Men\u2019s Amateur), Tom McKibbin (2024 Men\u2019s Professional) and Eamonn Darcy (2024 Distinguished Services to Golf) – will also be honoured at this year\u2019s awards lunch.<\/p>\n
About the Irish Golf Writers\u2019 Association Awards<\/p>\n
The Irish Golf Writers\u2019 Association (IGWA) was established in 1976 and hosts an annual awards lunch to honour the Men\u2019s and Women\u2019s Professional Player of the Year, the Women\u2019s Amateur Player of the Year, the Men\u2019s Amateur Player of the Year and a person who has been deemed to have made an outstanding contribution to golf in Ireland.<\/p>\n