President Donald Trump is "likely" to attend the Amgen Irish Open in person in September when it's held at his Doonbeg course.
Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg will host the Amgen Irish Open on the DP World Tour from 10-13 September, and the US President is "earmarked" to be there.
The update came from Trump International Hotel managing director Joe Russell, who told a public meeting in the area that Trump could be coming to County Clare for the Irish Open.
As quoted by the Irish Independent's Brian Keogh, Russell said Eric Trump was a confirmed visitor but that his father Donald was also likely to attend.
“It is likely at the moment, President Trump will attend,” said Russell.
“It’s not confirmed. Eric (Trump) will attend, so there will be a security presence leading up to the Open, but the size and scale of that will really depend on which Trump is coming, but at the moment the President is earmarked to come.”
Rory McIlroy won his second Irish Open last year at The K Club after a thrilling playoff, in an event that is becoming a popular stop on the DP World Tour.
Bumper crowds have been coming to the Irish Open for a while now, and more are expected this year with McIlroy defending his title against the likes of home hopes Shane Lowry, Padraig Harrington and Tom McKibbin.
There's also the hope that two-time Irish Open champion Jon Rahm could return to the event for the first time since winning at nearby Lahinch in 2019.
"I think I'm ready to make another appearance at the Irish Open," Rahm said at Wentworth last year. "Because it's a country that I love and a tournament that I love, and I've done really well."
Plenty of golf fans, and players, will be attracted purely by the stunning links course at Doonbeg, which ranked 48th in Golf Monthly's Top 100 Courses of UK & Ireland in association with Peter Millar.
The biggest addition to proceedings though would be President Trump, at least in terms of how the event will look for spectators with a big increase in security.
“In terms of local access, I think it’s important to say that we need to understand the impact of potential VIPs - which member of the Trump family will visit,” said the DP World Tour’s senior championship manager Chris Upson according to the Irish Independent.
“We are working with the local authorities in terms of what a cordon might look like.”
The DP World Tour had no update on Trump's possible attendance when contacted by Golf Monthly, but as he's shown at the Ryder Cup and LIV Golf events the President loves to show up at big tournaments.
And Trump courses are cropping up with increasing regularity on the golfing calendar, with two LIV Golf events being held at Trump courses along with a PGA Tour return to Trump Doral later this year.
It will cause a huge stir if Trump manages to fit in a visit to the Irish Open into his schedule.
