Irish Open: Celebrities and famous faces tee off at Royal County Down

The traditional warm-up for the Irish Open got underway at Royal County Down on Wednesday as celebrities and famous faces took to the fairways.

Seen as a curtain-raiser to this year’s competition, figures from the world of television, music and sport were put through their paces on the championship links course, ranked one of the finest in the world.

Among the famous faces to tee off were Armagh GAA players who traded sports for the day.

Fresh from All Ireland success, Armagh’s Rían O’Neill and Jarlath Óg Burns as well as Armagh coach and former Kerry footballer Kieran Donaghy joined the celebrity participants.

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Among the first to take to the course were former rugby player Tommy Bowe, actor James Nesbitt and ex-jockey AP McCoy.

All three appeared to enjoy the buzz and atmosphere as the spectators gathered in their hundreds to watch, a day before the real golfing action begins on Thursday.

But Coleraine-born Nesbitt, best known for his roles in The Hobbit, Cold Feet, The Missing and Bloodlands, said it was not a successful round of golf for him.

Speaking to The Irish News, he admitted: “It was very difficult, the worst round I’ve ever had.

“It was tough, the worse I played the worse I got, but there were some good moments, it was a great day... but I was disappointed with how I played.”

With little sunshine on offer and the windy weather conditions proving difficult for some of the celebrity competitors, Bowe, who now hosts morning television show Ireland AM, said it was a struggle for the non-professional golfers taking part.

“It’s very windy, but it’s an absolutely stunning course, I can see why people travel from all over the world to play here,” he said.

“It was great craic, but I’m glad it’s all over.”

The celebrities were joined on the 18th tee by Late Late Show presenter Patrick Kielty, who hails from nearby Dundrum.

The comedian had been due to take part in the pro-am, but appeared to be spending much of his day filming segments for his RTÉ show, which returns to television screens on Friday.

Kielty is also understood to have roped Holywood golfer Rory McIlroy into filming with him on the first tee, which is also set to be part of Friday’s show.

Throughout the pro-am, golfing fans and celebrity spotters mingled across the Newcastle course to catch a glimpse of the competing stars.

Westlife singer Shane Filan drew much attention, while other sports stars such as former rugby player Rory Best and Irish hockey captain Katie Mullan were also in action.

With a final day of practice before the real competition starts on Thursday, McIlroy was out on the course, as well as Padraig Harrington, Shane Lowry and Tom McKibbin.

With a large crowd following his every move, McIlroy said it was “good to be home in Northern Ireland”.

“It’s a real treat, we don’t get to play this calibre of golf course very often on tour so to come and play somewhere like this is amazing,” he said.

He added: “I’m excited to be back and looking forward to the week.”

Speaking ahead of the start of the competition, McKibbin, who also hails from north Belfast, also said he believes it will be a memorable week in Newcastle.

Only 21 years old, he said it “would mean a lot” to achieve big success on home soil.

“I think it would mean a lot no matter where it was, but here at (Royal) County Down would be even more special just because of the prestigious of the course and how special it is,” he said.

“It would probably be the biggest achievement of my career and it would probably stay there forever.

“It’s just another tournament. I play a lot of these every week, so just trying to treat them the same as most weeks. Obviously it’s a little bit different. It’s a big event, just trying to keep them hopefully the same.

“I haven’t sort of quite experienced this, home crowds. It’s something I’ve got to deal with.”