US President Donald Trump will travel to Ireland next month to attend the closing stages of the Amgen Irish Open at Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg, adding an extraordinary presidential dimension to one of the biggest weeks on the Irish sporting calendar.
A White House official has confirmed that Trump is scheduled to be in Ireland on Saturday, September 12 and Sunday, September 13, coinciding with the third and final rounds of the DP World Tour event. He is also due to take part in an engagement with US embassy staff and business representatives before attending the golf in County Clare.
The championship proper runs from September 10-13, with the Wednesday Pro-Am opening tournament week on September 9.
The visit had been widely anticipated but had not previously been confirmed. Trump said in July that he was considering travelling to Ireland for the tournament, while the DP World Tour had already been preparing for the possibility of a presidential presence and the additional security requirements that would bring.
Sport for Business understands that meetings regarding the additional security requirements are continuing throughout this week.
The visit means that an event already carrying an exceptional level of interest will have an even greater international spotlight trained on Doonbeg.
Trump International Golf Links will host the Irish Open for the first time, and the tournament has assembled one of its strongest fields in recent years.
Defending champion Rory McIlroy will lead the home challenge alongside Shane Lowry, Pádraig Harrington, Séamus Power and Tom McKibbin.
They will be joined by Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, Luke Donald, Nicolai and Rasmus Højgaard, as well as recently Ryder Cup stars Patrick Reed, Robert MacIntyre, Francesco Molinari and Sepp Straka.
The DP World Tour has confirmed that weekend General Admission, Ticket+, and Green on 18 packages have sold out, with demand leaving only limited availability on earlier days and in selected premium categories.
Around 70,000 spectators were initially expected throughout tournament week, while the championship village will include brand activations, technology experiences, food and entertainment alongside the golf. Make-A-Wish Ireland returns as official charity partner and live music will extend the experience after play over the weekend.
Trump’s presence on Saturday and Sunday will inevitably change the dynamic around those two days.
A significant security operation involving An Garda Síochána and the US Secret Service will be required around a tournament already managing tens of thousands of spectators in a relatively small part of west Clare.
It will also place the Amgen Irish Open in the global news cycle, well beyond its traditional golf and sports media audience.
That presents opportunity as well as complexity for tournament organisers, title sponsor Amgen, the DP World Tour and the wider group of commercial partners involved in the event.
The images from Doonbeg over the weekend will be carried internationally, while the presence of a sitting US President at the closing stages of Ireland’s national golf championship will ensure an audience that extends far beyond those who would normally follow the DP World Tour.
There is an additional, unusual commercial element: the host venue is part of the Trump family’s business portfolio.
Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Ireland was acquired by the Trump Organisation in 2014. Trump handed day-to-day management of the business to his sons upon returning to the White House, but the overlap between presidential travel and a sporting event staged at a family-owned property is likely to draw international scrutiny and attention.
Details of the wider Irish itinerary remain to be finalised publicly.
For the tournament itself, however, there is now certainty that the President intends to be present for its most important two days.
Whether he plays any formal role in Sunday’s presentation ceremony has not been confirmed and should for now remain in the realm of speculation.
What is certain is that when the leaders make their way down the closing holes at Doonbeg on September 13, the Amgen Irish Open will be taking place before one of the highest-profile spectators ever to attend an Irish sporting event.
For Irish golf, the DP World Tour and the businesses attached to the championship, it guarantees that an already sold-out weekend in Clare will be watched on a genuinely global stage.
Golf Ireland, the DP World Tour, KPMG, ForeFront Sports and the K Club are full members of Sport for Business.
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Image Credit: Trump Doonbeg
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