Irish Open prepares for Donald Trump visit as Doonbeg hosts 138-player field

Security and preparations for presidential visit

The Amgen Irish Open will take place at Trump International Golf Links and Hotel in Doonbeg, County Clare, welcoming an expected gallery of 70,000 to 75,000 spectators. US President Donald Trump, who acquired the property out of receivership in 2014, will attend the tournament as part of an official two-day visit to Ireland. Organizers have constructed a fortified helipad to accommodate the landing of Marine One, which is scheduled for late Saturday afternoon and could coincide with the third round. Tournament director Paul Gillmon confirmed that the DP World Tour is coordinating with the White House and the US Secret Service to avoid disruptions to on-course action.

If that was to happen, it would be kept to an absolute minimum to not disrupt play and keep the players moving.

During his diplomatic trip, Trump will hold a bilateral meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin and meet Irish President Catherine Connolly, with plans potentially including presenting the tournament trophy on Sunday evening.

Course alterations and links conditions

The links at Doonbeg, originally designed by Greg Norman and inaugurated in 2002 with a match between Norman and Pádraig Harrington, will present a redesigned test following twelve years of structural adjustments. Architect Martin Hawtree, along with Esie O'Mahony and Jamie O'Reilly of GolfLink, reshaped the holes to encourage ground play and incorporate swales around the greens following severe storm weather. Club head professional Brian Shaw noted that the course evolved away from its original target-golf style to offer players diverse approaches along the turf. DP World Tour officials Paul Gillmon and Miguel Viador managed course preparation and spectator pathways over the past year across the surrounding sand dunes and conservation areas. Defending champion Rory McIlroy, making his tournament debut at Doonbeg, noted the logistical circumstances surrounding the event.

It's going to be different with him being here but we're here to play a golf tournament and it's a good golf course and keep our head down and play.

Marquee groupings and Thursday schedule

A field of 138 players will begin competition on Thursday, featuring ten Irish professionals across the opening two rounds. Rory McIlroy will open his title defense at 13:35 on Thursday alongside Scotland's Robert MacIntyre and Brooks Koepka. Shane Lowry will follow ten minutes later at 13:45, paired with two-time champion Jon Rahm and current Race to Dubai leader Patrick Reed. The morning draw will feature Séamus Power playing with Sepp Straka and Joaquin Niemann at 09:30, followed at 09:40 by Pádraig Harrington, Tyrrell Hatton, and Eugenio Chacarra.

The tournament will be broadcast across Ireland on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player throughout all four days of play.

McKibbin prepares amid LIV Golf developments

Northern Ireland's Tom McKibbin will tee off at 13:15 on Thursday alongside European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald and Alex Fitzpatrick, entering the week after a tie for sixth at the British Masters at The Belfry. The 23-year-old golfer joined LIV Golf after the 2024 season on a reported €4.6 million contract, with National Club Golfer estimating his league earnings at over €13.6 million through mid-June. While reports indicate that LIV Golf may seek bankruptcy protection following changes in Saudi financial backing, McKibbin has accumulated €180,000 across five DP World Tour appearances in 2026.

McKibbin evaluated the course layout during a nine-hole Tuesday practice session alongside Jon Rahm and Roscommon professional Thomas Higgins.

From what I've seen, it's very difficult. There's a lot of bunkers and greens that have a lot of... I don't want to say big run-offs, but there's some narrow targets and, with the wind and some of the elevated tee boxes, it definitely makes it interesting.

The European Open and Hong Kong Open winner will seek to build upon his late-season form as play commences across the County Clare sand hills.