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Rory McIlroy will open the Amgen Irish Open at Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg alongside Robert MacIntyre and Brooks Koepka. Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm, Patrick Reed and a deep Irish contingent are also part of the field.
Rory McIlroy will play the opening two rounds of the Amgen Irish Open alongside Robert MacIntyre and Brooks Koepka. The group tees off at 1.35pm on Thursday at Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg, County Clare, before starting the second round at 9.30am on Friday.
McIlroy is the reigning Masters champion and world number two. MacIntyre is world number 18, while Koepka is a five-time Major winner. Their presence gives the DP World Tour event a marquee start on the exposed west-coast links. Shane Lowry tees off just after McIlroy on Thursday at 1.45pm.
He is grouped with Major winners Patrick Reed and Jon Rahm. Lowry and his partners will begin their second round at 9.40am on Friday. Tom McKibbin will play alongside Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald and Alex Fitzpatrick, who has enjoyed a breakout 2026 season. McKibbin's group starts at 1.15pm on Thursday and returns at 9.10am on Friday.
Séamus Power plays with Ryder Cup player Sepp Straka and Chilean Joaquin Niemann. They tee off at 9.30am on Thursday and at 1.35pm on Friday. Padraig Harrington starts with Spain's Eugenio Chacarra and England's Tyrrell Hatton at 9.40am on Thursday, with a second round at 1.45pm on Friday. The 138-man field includes a strong home presence.
Alongside McIlroy, Lowry, Power and McKibbin, the Irish challenge features Padraig Harrington, Thomas Higgins, Liam Nolan and Mark Power. Thomas Higgins has just turned professional and is making his first professional start on an invitation after narrowly missing out on the Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team. Liam Nolan and Mark Power are also among the home hopefuls looking to make an impression on familiar links turf.
Several local players arrive with time away from the top level, while others are beginning their professional careers. The tournament offers them a demanding test in front of a supportive home crowd. Early arrivals at Doonbeg have already met damp conditions. Heavy clouds along the Wild Atlantic Way brought rain, and water pelted the short-game area, forcing players to find cover.
Jon Rahm was among those who slipped into a shelter during the worst of the wet spell. The weather is not unusual for a links course, but it remains a major part of the challenge. Organisers have trimmed the field to 138 from the usual 156 for an average summer tournament to guard against low light and possible delays. The first two days are scheduled from 10am to 8pm on Thursday and Friday.
That is intended to reduce the risk of strong winds or poor light cutting play short. The schedule should also create continuity for players moving on to the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. The calendar has helped make this one of the strongest fields on the tour. The Irish Open is squeezed between the FedEx Cup playoffs and the BMW PGA Championship, which takes place next week.
The event has attracted 18 players who have won DP World Tour tournaments earlier this season. The tournament offers 190 world-ranking points, more than the 137 awarded at the recent Omega European Masters. That weighting plus the presence of McIlroy underlines the quality of the field. McIlroy's status as a Masters champion adds further attention to the start of the week.
Local press coverage is expected to focus on McIlroy's homecoming and on the new generation of Irish players. The Irish Open carries a tradition built over more than 60 years. With an extraordinary setting and unpredictable weather, Doonbeg should provide a lively weekend of links golf and a strong lead-in to Wentworth.
IrishTimes
The42_ie:This story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Rory Mcilroy Irish Open Trump International Golf Links Doonbeg Walker Cup DP World Tour Amgen Irish Open Robert Macintyre Brooks Koepka
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