Doonbeg has never hosted a tournament quite like this one. The Irish Open returns to the West Clare links for the first time since 2019, on a course owned by the sitting US president, with the world’s second-ranked player defending a title in front of his home crowd.
Rory McIlroy is relishing the return.
“I’m looking forward to returning home for the Amgen Irish Open later this year. Playing in front of Irish fans is always incredibly special. The scenes at The K Club last year were unforgettable. The roar when I holed my eagle putt on the 18th and the energy from the crowd will stay with me forever. Hopefully I can give the fans more of the same this year at Doonbeg,” he told the DP World Tour.
Rahm, Koepka and Lowry headline the field
The 156-player field includes seven of the world’s top 50, according to Golf News Net’s field rankings: McIlroy at No. 2, Jon Rahm at 14, Tyrrell Hatton at 24, Sepp Straka at 32, Patrick Reed at 35, Nicolai Højgaard at 39 and Joaquín Niemann at 42.
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Rahm is a two-time Irish Open winner and returns as one of the strongest threats to McIlroy on the links. Brooks Koepka, Shane Lowry, Pádraig Harrington, Robert MacIntyre, Rasmus Højgaard, Sergio García, Francesco Molinari and Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin are also in the field, the DP World Tour confirmed.
The winner will take home €880,000 from a €5.17 million prize fund, per the Irish Times.
Trump arrives Saturday with 1,000 security personnel
Donald Trump is expected to land in Dublin on Saturday, September 12, meet Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Irish President Catherine Connolly, and then travel to Doonbeg the same night to stay at the hotel. He will watch the tournament on Sunday, according to the Irish Times. Trump had originally intended to play in the pro-am but remained in the United States for September 11 commemorations.
His visit brings roughly 1,000 security personnel to County Clare, including up to 200 US Secret Service officers. Garda leave has been cancelled and officers from outside the Clare division have been drafted in for what authorities have declared an extraordinary event.
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Protests planned as Doonbeg readies for 75,000
The Irish Anti-War Movement and the Irish Neutrality League are organising demonstrations in Dublin, at Shannon Airport and in Doonbeg itself to coincide with the visit. Local councillor Rita McInerney, who is organising the community’s Fáilte Fest, has urged residents to “separate the business from the politics”, the Irish Examiner reports.
The village expects more than 75,000 visitors across tournament week. The course employs 350 people, and around 900 Pro-Am tickets have been distributed locally. Doonbeg’s main street has been repainted, new murals have gone up and pubs and restaurants have expanded their outdoor seating.
Weekend passes are sold out. Play begins on Thursday, September 10, with television coverage on RTÉ 2 and Sky Sports Golf.
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