Donald Trump Could Attend Irish Open At Doonbeg

Donald Trump watching on and a view of his golf course at Doonbeg — (Image credit: Getty Images)

President Donald Trump is "likely" to attend the Amgen Irish Open in person in September when it's held at his Doonbeg course.

Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg will host the Amgen Irish Open on the DP World Tour from 10-13 September, and the US President is "earmarked" to be there.

“It is likely at the moment, President Trump will attend,” said Russell.

“It’s not confirmed. Eric (Trump) will attend, so there will be a security presence leading up to the Open, but the size and scale of that will really depend on which Trump is coming, but at the moment the President is earmarked to come.”

Rory McIlroy won his second Irish Open last year at The K Club after a thrilling playoff, in an event that is becoming a popular stop on the DP World Tour.

Bumper crowds have been coming to the Irish Open for a while now, and more are expected this year with McIlroy defending his title against the likes of home hopes Shane Lowry, Padraig Harrington and Tom McKibbin.

There's also the hope that two-time Irish Open champion Jon Rahm could return to the event for the first time since winning at nearby Lahinch in 2019.

"I think I'm ready to make another appearance at the Irish Open," Rahm said at Wentworth last year. "Because it's a country that I love and a tournament that I love, and I've done really well."

Plenty of golf fans, and players, will be attracted purely by the stunning links course at Doonbeg, which ranked 48th in Golf Monthly's Top 100 Courses of UK & Ireland in association with Peter Millar.

The biggest addition to proceedings though would be President Trump, at least in terms of how the event will look for spectators with a big increase in security.

“In terms of local access, I think it’s important to say that we need to understand the impact of potential VIPs - which member of the Trump family will visit,” said the DP World Tour’s senior championship manager Chris Upson according to the Irish Independent.

“We are working with the local authorities in terms of what a cordon might look like.”

The DP World Tour had no update on Trump's possible attendance when contacted by Golf Monthly, but as he's shown at the Ryder Cup and LIV Golf events the President loves to show up at big tournaments.

And Trump courses are cropping up with increasing regularity on the golfing calendar, with two LIV Golf events being held at Trump courses along with a PGA Tour return to Trump Doral later this year.

It will cause a huge stir if Trump manages to fit in a visit to the Irish Open into his schedule.

Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website. Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.

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