North coast all set for Irish Open

With the practice sessions over, some of the world’s top golfers are now preparing to get down to business at the Irish Open in Portstewart. Head of Sport NIGEL GOULD looks ahead to what promises to be a superb sporting spectacle.

The scene is set for what Rory McIlroy believes will be the biggest and best tournament in Irish Open history …

Hosted by the Rory Foundation, the Dubai Duty Free Open begins in earnest tomorrow morning.

Set against the spectacular backdrop of the north coast’s famous rolling sand dunes bordering the Strand beach, Porstewart Golf Club is the perfect location for golf of the very highest calibre.

And after today when the Pro-Am is over, it will be very much down to the serious business.

The line-up could not be much better.

McIlroy has been able to attract some of the very best talent in the world – something he alluded strongly to last night during the ‘Evening with Rory McIlroy’ Rory Foundation event at the Waterfront.

Among the stars on show will be Rory himself, the world number two Hideki Matsuyama, Olympic Gold Medal winner Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm and Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston.

Add to that local favourites Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell and you have one of the strongest fields ever assembled.

McDowell says he is relishing returning to a golf course he knows so well.

“Portstewart is a golf course that I played a lot as a kid,” he said. “I am in mum and dad’s house and my old room is still in his former shape.

“I am at home – bit of home cooking – it is definitely the part of the season where I put on a few extra pounds.”

McDowell and the star-studded cast will compete for a 7 million Euros prize fund – with the winner receiving a cool 1 million Euros.

Day One tees off at 7.30am – with England’s David Howell first out.

McIlroy, meanwhile, begins his bid to retain his title at 1.20 in the company of Matsuyama and Rahm, the young Spaniard who is the talk of the golfing world right now

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