Rory McIlroy is getting set to defend his Amgen Irish Open crown this week at the Donald Trump-owned Doonbeg Golf Links, and addressed the media late on Wednesday morning after completing nine holes of the pre-tournament Pro-Am.
The two-time winner reflected on his dramatic, come-from-behind victory at The K Club last year where he eagled the 72nd hole, then took down Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren in a playoff, and hailed the week as an incredible memory that he got to share with the home support after the success he’d finally achieved at Augusta National in April of ’25.
“I got two bites of the cherry coming home last year with Portrush hosting The Open and everything and the Irish Open,” he said. “I really wanted to treat, I guess, both weeks like a celebration of the year and everything that I had achieved last year. And I started off the week at the Irish Open last year doing something in the tented village with all the fans and green jacket and major trophies.
“If you can’t feel good about your golf game going into a tournament after something like that — it was a nice confidence boost. It was incredible last year. Needing three at the last to get into the playoff and the scenes on the last and everything… Yeah, it was an incredible week.
“With the way that the year transpired, going into that back end of of the season, if there was one tournament that I could have chosen to win, it would be that one. It was a magical weekend, and obviously the scenes of the celebrations and dads and sons hugging each other – it was very fulfilling and I’m glad I got the opportunity to be a part of it.”
McIlroy is one of the top-tier golfers who’s been most vocal about the need to support and protect prestigious National Opens, and for the second year running, he will head Down Under at the end of the year to contest the Australian Open, having already played in the U.S., Canadian, and Scottish Opens.
This year, he returns to home shores for his own National Open as the reigning Masters champion for the second year running, and he admitted that he’s been in discussions with Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley about expanding the Masters exemptions to include winners of events such as the Irish Open in addition to winners of regular PGA Tour events and the Scottish Open, South African Open, Japan Open, Hong Kong Open and Open de España which were all added last year.
“What do you think?” he joked when asked if it was an idea he supported. “Of course. I spoke to Chairman Ridley about this a lot and I really applaud their dedication to international golf and getting behind some of the international opens.
“Obviously the Asia-Pacific Amateur, the Latin America Amateur Championship, they have done great jobs with them and it give these exemptions to these larger National Opens. I would certainly sit there and argue the Irish Open’s case with Fred all day. I think, hopefully, at some point, it’s inevitable that that would become a reality.”
McIlroy spoke briefly yesterday about U.S. President Donald Trump’s expected presence at the tournament at the weekend and acknowledged the additional logistical and security challenges it raised, and he expanded on that, explaining that he believes that the extra attention that the event will receive worldwide as a result of the President’s attendance can only be viewed as a positive.
“I think when the sitting President of the United States of America visits anywhere, it becomes a logistical challenge. There’s a lot that goes into it. They obviously have to lock down a specific area and make sure that it’s safe for him to travel into, and the entire delegation, whoever that is. Logistically, it provides a bit of a challenge but we are at one of his properties that he has kindly provided for us to play a golf tournament.
“I said yesterday, the President of the United States wants to come watch a little bit of golf. I think we are all happy to be here, grateful to be here. His presence at the Irish Open makes it a truly international event. That brings more attention and eyeballs to the Irish Open, and it can only be a good thing.”
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