Jon Rahm has made no secret of his soft spot for Ireland. Speaking ahead of the 2026 Amgen Irish Open at Trump International Golf Links & Hotel in Doonbeg, the two-time major champion reflected on a relationship with the country that goes far beyond results. Two Irish Open titles sit on his résumé, yet it is the atmosphere, the people and the distinctive character of links golf that keep drawing him back.
Rahm’s first victory on the DP World Tour came at Portstewart in 2017 in what was his first Irish Open appearance and it remains one of the most treasured moments of his career. That breakthrough still stands out for the way the final round unfolded. A difficult start, an eagle from the fairway on the fourth hole, and then the luxury of walking up the 18th with the title secured.
“Any time you have a large lead going down 18 knowing that you’ve won, it’s a phenomenal feeling,” he recalled. “To get my first win on European soil like that was very, very special.”
His second triumph, at Lahinch, carried a different kind of magic. After a struggle to make the cut and a pedestrian start to the third round, Rahm produced a remarkable closing surge which saw him scythe through the field and shoot a closing eight-under 62 to win by two.
“Playing the last 27 holes I believe it was 14-under par to win it was also special in a different way,” he said, but it wasn’t just the on-course exploits that left a lasting impression. “It was one of the more fun weeks of my professional career. I thought Lahinch was a lovely town, really a lot of fun. A great golf course where a lot of people turned up.”
He singled out the course’s unusual character and its links to Old Tom Morris, noting that some of the iconic holes have remained largely unchanged for more than a century. Playing such historic ground, he added, is “always a special side of coming to golf destinations like Ireland.”
But it’s the people and the atmosphere created by the fans that he enjoys most every time he’s back on the Emerald Isle. And he’s done his fair share in promoting Ireland as a golfing destination.
“The hospitality I feel when I come to Ireland…”, he said. “I don’t know if it’s everybody or it’s just me, I really feel like everybody’s always so friendly and so willing to help and in such a good mood all the time. Honestly, it is truly a joy to be out here.
“I think that their understanding of golf is very special. As a professional golfer, when you come and you feel that appreciated, it’s really special. It’s unique. I don’t know why, but Ireland’s always maybe a very special place to me in my heart. And as golf destinations go, if anybody everybody ever asks me I always say, if you can go to Ireland for 10 days – very few 10 days are going to be better than that. Plus or minus weather being better or worse, but besides that, the week in general, the food, the people, the atmosphere, the golf. It’s hard to beat.”
The weather, of course, is a big talking point anytime there’s a professional (or international amateur) event held in Ireland, and this week is no different. Rahm’s tournament preparations were stunted a little when he was twice forced off the course on Monday due to torrential rain, but what little of the golf course he did see at Trump Doonbeg – and from what his fellow Legion XIII man and Ryder Cup partner Tyrrell Hatton said – was enough to convince him that the golf course should be a fitting opponent this week.
“From what I saw it’s in fantastic shape,” Rahm said. “All I’ve heard is how great a golf course it is, how great of a design it is, and how fun. Tyrrell told me a few weeks ago that he had came and — he usually comes to Ireland on a golf tour, and he played it just with his mates and he even was giving it high praise. And if you know Tyrrell, him giving anything a high praise means that it’s really, really good. So I’m really looking forward to seeing the rest of the golf course and experiencing the week.”
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