Rory McIlroy set to headline Irish Open field at Royal County Down

The world number two, who has kicked off the 2024 season in fine style after following up a second-placed finish at the Dubai Invitational by winning the Dubai Desert Classic title for a fourth time on Sunday, will tee off at the picturesque course when the tournament gets underway on Thursday, September 12.

McIlroy will be hoping he can fare better this time around than when the Irish Open was last held at Royal County down in 2015, where the Holywood native missed the cut while Denmark’s Søren Kjeldsen was crowned champion after a dramatic play-off.

It marks the first time that the Irish Open has been held in Northern Ireland since 2020 (Galgorm Castle) while Jon Rahm reigned supreme in Portstewart back in 2017.

McIlroy won the 2016 Irish Open after finishing three strokes ahead of Bradley Dredge and Russell Knox at The K Club and will be looking to become the 12th player to win it multiple times, joining a list that includes the likes of Colin Montgomerie, Nick Faldo and Seve Ballesteros.

After winning a 38th professional title at the weekend, McIlroy said: “It’s a great start to the season. I started well last year with the win here.

“A couple of little things still to work on but these weeks are great. You learn a ton from them and obviously great to get the competition and come out on top as well.”