Anthony LoBue has become the first decorated player at the 2026 Irish Open. The American took down the €120 PLO Deaf Championship, outlasting a field of 49 entrants for a €1,550 payday. LoBue snagged the trophy, featuring the green Shamrock, after prevailing against fellow American Tomeka King heads up.
LoBue is an accomplished player with a string of cashes to his name including three this year (now four!), however last night’s victory was his first in Europe. His Irish Open win brings him within a whisker of $50,000 in total live tournament earnings.
With 36 unique players representing 17 countries in the PLO contest, the Deaf community has showed up in force here at the Royal Dublin Society. The PLO Deaf Championship was one of five tournaments being hosted here for Deaf players, part of a “festival within a festival” which has been promoted around the world by Irish Open Deaf Ambassador Darren Chow. For full details on that, click here.
The €200 Irish Open Deaf Championship also started yesterday with 102 players competing on Day 1a; Day 1b takes place today starting at 1pm.
The top seven finishers in the PLO last night reached paid places, sharing €4,753 in prize money. Congratulations!
| Place | Player | Country | Payout |
| 1st | Anthony Lobue | USA | €1,550 |
| 2nd | Tomeka King | USA | €1,020 |
| 3rd | Friedrich Steinbock | Germany | €690 |
| 4th | Inigo Madina | Spain | €523 |
| 5th | Stephen Draper | United Kingdom | €400 |
| 6th | Magnus Brenden | Norway | €320 |
| 7th | Joao Dos Santos | Portugal | €250 |
