The sitting US president will land in Ireland on Saturday, 12 September for a two-day visit that ends with him watching the closing round of the Irish Open at a course he owns. It is a combination almost without precedent in professional golf: the tournament, the venue and the head of state are, this weekend, effectively the same story.
Play at the Amgen Irish Open runs from Thursday, 10 September to Sunday, 13 September at Trump International Golf Links and Hotel in Doonbeg, on the west coast of Ireland. It is the first time Ireland’s national open has been staged at the Doonbeg links.
A White House official confirmed the visit last month, speaking on condition of anonymity. Alongside the golf, Trump is expected to attend an event with US embassy staff and business figures during his time in the country.
McIlroy defends at a new venue
The Doonbeg field is one of the strongest the Irish Open has assembled in years. Rory McIlroy is back to defend the title he won at The K Club in 2025, joined by fellow major champions Shane Lowry, Pádraig Harrington, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Francesco Molinari, Sergio Garcia and Patrick Reed.
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Europe’s Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald is in the draw, as are Ryder Cup regulars Tyrrell Hatton, Robert MacIntyre, Sepp Straka and the Højgaard twins, Rasmus and Nicolai. Irish interest beyond McIlroy, Lowry and Harrington comes from Tom McKibbin and Séamus Power.
The tournament is a DP World Tour event carrying a purse of $6 million, played over 72 holes by a 156-player field.
Dublin meetings before the flight west
Before Trump reaches the coast, his schedule takes him through the capital. Irish media report the president will meet Taoiseach Micheál Martin at Farmleigh in Dublin and pay a courtesy call to President Catherine Connolly at Áras an Uachtaráin before travelling on to Doonbeg for Saturday night and the final round on Sunday.
Trump is due to leave Ireland on Sunday evening or early Monday, according to the same reports.
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Doonbeg itself is a small village in West Clare that has hosted Trump’s Irish investment for more than a decade. Having the sitting US president as course owner turns a standard tour week into a security and logistical operation on a different scale from any previous edition of the Irish Open.
The competitive rounds tee off on Thursday, 10 September, with Trump expected on site for Saturday’s third round and Sunday’s finale.
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