The popularity of Irish golf courses continues to grow on a global scale, with quite a few big names in the sport spending their free time teeing it up in this part of the world in recent times.
PGA Tour stars Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, and Smylie Kaufman are the latest examples, with the trio playing on a number of top class courses here over the last few days after their appearances at The Open last week. Brooks Koepka is another one who stopped off in Ireland on his way back from Royal Troon, showing how popular courses on this island are becoming among elite golfers.
Those players will all return to Ireland next summer, with The Open set to take place at Royal Portrush. As well as that, moves are being made that could eventually see the major being brought to Dublin, with Portmarnock Golf Club keen to host the event over the coming years.
In fact, it might not only be The Open that comes to these shores in the near future if one player has his way.
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Jon Rahm Calls For Ireland Move To Help LIV Golf Players
Jon Rahm is another player who seems to enjoy Irish golf courses, having won the Irish Open on two occasions earlier in his career. He is now part of LIV Golf, meaning he will not have an opportunity to play in the event again as things stand.
The Spaniard finished in a tie for seventh at The Open last week, although he found the adjustment to links golf a bit difficult due to the lack of such courses on the LIV schedule.
Speaking to Golf Digest, he said he would love to see a LIV Golf event be held at a links course ahead of The Open. He said he viewed Ireland as an ideal spot for such a tournament.
There's so much that goes into adjusting to links golf; getting used to the greens and the ball reacting on the ground. I didn’t think about it until after [Troon], but it's undeniable how much it helps to play a links golf course the week before the Open...
You're preaching to the choir; I love Ireland.
I've always felt really welcome in Ireland. It feels like home and some of the most fun rounds of golf I've ever played are there and there are some great venues.
So yeah, if there was an opportunity for LIV Golf to play in Ireland it would be absolutely fantastic...
I want to win the Open and a lot of Spanish people want to see me win it because no [Spaniard] since Seve has been able to do it.
I love links golf and the Open and I’m looking forward to giving myself a better chance.
It remains to be seen where such an event could be held, although there does seem like one obvious candidate. Three courses owned by Donald Trump have hosted LIV Golf events in the past, meaning that his course in Doonbeg would likely be at the top of the list of any potential tournament in Ireland.
As to how keen the Irish golfing public would be to attend a tournament held by the Saudi-owned tour, that remains to be seen.
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