A stellar field heads to the Emerald Isle as the 2023 Horizon Irish Open takes place at The K Club. Here are your five things to know.
New date at a returning venue
First played in 1927, the Irish Open is one of the world’s most famous national open.
It is being held in a new place on the DP World Tour schedule this week, after it was moved from late June/early July to a slot at the start of September.
This time around it returns to The K Club for the first time since 2016, when Rory McIlroy famously claimed the title as he eagled the final hole to win by three strokes and earn his professional title on Irish soil.
The County Kildare venue will be well known to fans of European golf after it served as host venue to the 2006 Ryder Cup when Europe comprehensively retained the trophy.
The K Club has also been confirmed to host the Irish Open in 2025 and 2027, with the event moving to Royal County Down in Northern Ireland next year.
Meronk back to defend
Adrian Meronk made history as the first Polish winner on the DP World Tour by winning this event 12 months ago at Mount Juliet Estate.
In front of sold-out crowds, a closing six-under-par 66 – featuring a birdie-birdie-eagle run from the 15th – saw him surge to a three-shot victory after the overnight leader had been caught by eventual runner-up Ryan Fox.
It was a long-awaited maiden title for Meronk, who graduated from the European Challenge Tour in 2019, after six top tens earlier in the campaign.
He has since won two further titles at national opens on the DP World Tour in Australia and most recently in Italy at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club.
Victory this week would see him become the first player to successfully defend the title since Colin Montgomerie in 1997.
Major Champion set for landmark appearance as international stars assemble
Such is the popularity of the tournament, star power will not be in short supply for the Irish crowds.
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry – who will both feature at the Ryder Cup – along with fellow past champion Pádraig Harrington are sure to draw huge interest.
But they are just part of the draw, with an international array of players taking their place in the field.
Among those is 2013 Masters Tournament winner Adam Scott, who will make his 250th DP World Tour appearance this week, with countryman Min Woo Lee and Kiwi Ryan Fox beginning a spell of events back in Europe.
They will be joined by Rolex Series winners Tyrrell Hatton, Billy Horschel and fellow PGA TOUR winner Tom Hoge, who is making his first appearance in a regular DP World Tour event.
Wishing for birdies
Among a number of fundraising activities this week, the Birdies for Wishes campaign returns to the Horizon Irish Open as tournament title sponsors Horizon Therapeutics hope to double last year’s fundraising efforts.
A grand total of nearly €121,000 was raised last year to Official Charity Make-A-Wish Ireland, which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions, while the Birdies for Wishes campaign generating €37,000.
The 18th has again been designated as the Birdies for Wishes hole, with every birdie at the last during tournament play resulting in a €150 donation for every birdie and €300 for every eagle across the four tournament rounds.
Horizon Ambassadors Harrington and Lowry will also add to the fundraising efforts after each player pledged to donate €500 for every birdie and €1,000 for every eagle they card across the week.
Additionally, Horizon will donate €1 for every person at the venue who wears green on Saturday, 9 September as Ireland also kick-off their 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign against Romania that same day.
Gough and Power make first steps into professional ranks
Amid the drama of last week’s Omega European Masters - the final qualifying event to make Team Europe at the upcoming Ryder Cup - the Walker Cup took place at St Andrews over the weekend.
Among the Great Britain & Ireland team that suffered defeat to the United States at The Home of Golf were Ireland’s Mark Power and England’s John Gough, who have now joined the paid ranks.
Both picked up wins over the opening day’s two sessions to help the hosts open up a lead, but they ultimately came up second best as the USA team took control in Sunday’s singles.
Power’s final act as an amateur was to birdie the 17th and 18th on the Old Course to record a 1UP win in the singles, one of three points he registered from his four matches.
His win was one of just three points Great Britain & Ireland could register in the singles as Gough, who impressed at the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo earlier in the summer, lost to World Number One amateur Gordon Sargent on the 18th.
