A moment in time that halted a golf tournament.
Literally. As two army helicopters landed shortly before US President Donald Trump’s own chopper, the three-ball of Ewen Ferguson, Niklas Norgaard and Kazuma Kobori took it upon themselves to delay their tee shots on the 3rd tee to record the famous moment on their phones as the Trump operation took centre stage in the adjacent landing area.
A championship littered with stars towards the top of the leaderboard. Shane Lowry about to tee off as the halfway leader in his home open only secondary to the world’s biggest name.
There has been an edge to Irish Open week here in Doonbeg. A sense of the unknown. Hundreds of Gardaí have spent the week gawping into their phones as they stand at every corner and junction surely bored out of their minds. This week would be a profitable week to be a burglar in Limerick.
On Saturday it is ‘D-Day’ the remote village of Doonbeg was ready as the hotel and golf links course which bares his name above the door. Driving through Doonbeg a protest of between 40-50 people gathers on the street to show their disdain towards the President and their disapproval of his visit. This certainly went against the legend that Trump has poured money into the pockets of the village and is a popular man in this part of West Clare.
Passing through car park four there is a man with an “I stand with Trump” cap. Right.
The security measures in car park four where media and Doonbeg members get a shuttle to the course increased daily. Today it was like going through Dublin airport. A token search of backpacks turned a full scale Smiths Detection extravaganza including a rigorous touching from security.
Early signs of Trump are detected at around half one as Air Force One takes a detour from its Dublin to Shannon route to do a lap of the Doonbeg Links. Rory McIlroy, who is attending a dinner with Trump caught a double whammy as when looking for his golf ball in the dunes on the 3rd, The Don flew overhead.
Operation Trump is well underway at this point the motorcade is set up along the road which separates the golf course and the links lodges. Tom McKibbin arrives as it is set up and chuckles to his caddie Ricky McCormick over the standstill.
Trump let off about immigration in Ireland but what he did cause was the media tent at the Amgen Irish Open to be awash with news journalists in shirts and suits coming in and taking our food. A plethora of journalists tumbled out from a cabin underneath the two army helicopters upon his arrival at the links.
Watching the five helicopters approach the links was a surreal moment. There was an eery silence with a packed gallery lining the pathway between the 3rd and 17th tee boxes. Also rans for the week like Patrick Reed, Andy Sullivan and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen could have been forgiven for thinking that the hundreds of people around the tee were there for them.
The arrival of the helicopters catches the gaze of Lowry and co but not Haotong Li who uses one as a target for one of his approach shots. Maybe he wanted to extract revenge for Trump’s constant blaming of China for the world’s problem. The circus is well and truly in town but the operation behind it is very impressive. Snipers are at the ready from the roof of the hotel while Gardaí and Trump’s protectors are on red alert as one man with a MAGA hat joins the media on top of the ditch.
Trump arrives and is placed into a vehicle without a hitch. He doesn’t opt to use his bulletproof golf buggy instead Trump and sons perch themselves on a balcony overlooking the 18th green.
One would think that Brooks Koepka has no time for nonsense, yet he is one of the first players to indulge the world’s most orange man with a hearty embrace after his round.
What Trump does for the rest of the weekend remains to be seen. Teeing it up in the final group on Sunday is not beyond the realms of possibility.
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