Irish Open: Royal County Down will ‘provide an excellent challenge for some of the world’s best golfers’

Royal County Down will “provide an excellent challenge for some of the world’s best golfers” as the club gears up for the start of the Irish Open.

The event swings into action at the Newcastle venue this week, attracting a strong field, with Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry among the leading golfers set to take to compete.

The Amgen Irish Open is returning to the prestigious Royal County Down Golf Club, rated by Golf Digest as the world’s number one course, for the first time in nine years.

Kevin Lowry, chairman of the championship committee at the golf club, said excitement is building for the competition, which takes place from Wednesday to Sunday.

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“We are thrilled to welcome the Irish Open back to Royal County Down Golf Club,” he said.

“The golf course is in magnificent condition and will provide an excellent challenge for some of the world’s best golfers.

“We look forward to welcoming players, fans and guests from all over the world.”

It comes as figures from Tourism NI reveal that when the event was last staged at the Co Down venue in 2015, spectators and participants contributed £4.4 million to the local economy

In addition, Northern Ireland’s hosting of the tournament resulted in almost 3,000 hours of television coverage across the globe to a potential audience of 430 million people.

The event saw more than 18,000 bed nights sold, with 30% of visitors travelling from outside of Northern Ireland.

Other recent figures show that the value of golf tourism in 2023 increased to £68.2 million with the Irish Open set to build on that further.

John McGrillen, chief executive of Tourism NI, said it is “shaping up to be a fantastic highlight of Northern Ireland’s 2024 golfing calendar”.

“Tournaments such as this strengthen the region’s reputation for delivering high-profile international sporting events,” he said.

“They also allow us to showcase to the world the breadth and quality of the golfing experience visitors can have when they too come to play in Northern Ireland.”

Paul Gillmon, Irish Open championship director, said “we’re all looking forward to what promises to be another special week on one of the world’s most renowned golf courses”.

“We have seen a huge amount of support from Tourism NI and the local community in the lead up to the event,” he said.

“Local businesses and stakeholders have really bought into the tournament and the opportunities associated with hosting a world-class event such as the Amgen Irish Open.”