The week before and week after the Open Championship is always a good time to catch a sneak peak of the golfing elite scattered across the various coastlines in Ireland but it’s a crying shame it doesn’t happen more often.
This week Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth and former tour pro Smylie Kaufman hit the links in the European Club, The Island, Co. Louth Golf Club and Portmarnock while Brooks Koepka and Thomas were seen enjoying a night out on All Ireland Sunday.
This isn’t unusual. Shane Lowry and Pádraig Harrington regularly use Portmarnock to get into the links swing in preparation for the Open while Dustin Johnson has taken to the fairways there before.
A smattering of people followed Thomas and Spieth around Baltray and Portmarnock as the American pair let their hair down and sipped on a few pints on their way around.
It’s great to see them playing in Ireland but it’s a shame that it’s just a casual affair.
There was a time where Ireland had three events on the calendar, the Irish Open, European Open and a World Golf Championship. Times have changed since then.
Ireland has some of the best golf courses in the world which is why so many of the world’s best players flock to our shores for a bit of fun pre and post Open, but it’s a much too rare occurrence.
The Irish Open was on its knees between 2009 and 2014. Back then the only real attraction for fans was to see the Irish contingent. Fortunate we were that Pádraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy were all major champions at this stage and provided a bit of gloss on an event that was dying a slow death.
Rejuvenated by McIlroy and Dubai Duty Free, our national open was alive and kicking with McIlroy and Rahm adding their names to the roll of honour.
Rahm won back-to-back Irish Opens in 2018 and 2019 in Portstewart and Lahinch with Covid travel complications preventing him from returning in 2020. He hasn’t returned since.
Irish Open fields are healthy with the likes of Billy Horschel, a popular figure in Europe, set to come across and compete in September as part of a double act with Wentworth.
However, LIV Golf has diluted regular PGA Tour fields and has decimated the DP World Tour.
The British Masters similar to the Irish Open experienced a brief revival in recent years but it is clear that the world class field is in the LIV Golf UK Championship.
Rahm was asked by Golf Digest about potentially having a LIV Golf event held in Ireland the week before the Open Championship to rival the Scottish Open and help players on the Saudi backed tour prepare for the Open.
“You’re preaching to the choir; I love Ireland,” Rahm told reporter Evin Priest.
“I’ve always felt really welcome in Ireland. It feels like home and some of the most fun rounds of golf I’ve ever played are there and there are some great venues.
“So yeah, if there was an opportunity for LIV Golf to play in Ireland it would be absolutely fantastic.”
He added: “I want to win the Open and a lot of Spanish people want to see me win it because no [Spaniard] since Seve has been able to do it.
“I love links golf and the Open and I’m looking forward to giving myself a better chance.”
Rahm has a point. Not only is he part of a cohort who were good supporters of the Irish Open alongside Tyrrell Hatton, Adrian Meronk and Lucas Herbert but he would be one of a handful of world class players who could tee it up on an Irish links.
Trump International Doonbeg is the obvious candidate for hosting but it would be fantastic if an event like this was brought to one of our unsung links tracks.
Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia Joaquin Niemann all potentially on our doorstep.
We have the golf courses and we have the fans. LIV Golf looks like a market worth tapping into.
If not, then McIlroy’s vision of a global tour must include Ireland as a one stop shop for the best players in the world to come and play.
Either way, while it’s great that some of the best players from America come and play our golf courses during this time of year, it’s too short-lived and we should prolong their stay by giving them a tournament to play in. Whatever tour it is.
