In a letter to this newspaper on Wednesday, the writer noted that “the behaviour of a significant and vocal minority of spectators at the Ryder Cup in Bethpage was very disappointing and unbecoming of a professional golf event.”
Many of those who agreed with the sentiment would also have thought that with over 300 golf courses in Ireland the awarding of the 2026 Irish Open golf tournament to the Donald Trump-owned Doonbeg was also very disappointing and unbecoming of professional golf.
Like the bowl of shamrock handed over on St Patrick’s Day to mark the friendship between Ireland and the USA, perceptions are that next year a golf tournament has been added to the gesture of goodwill.
Golf venue decisions are a collaboration between the DP World Tour, sponsors and State money. And in May of this year Golf Ireland laid out how much skin that the Government, through Sport Ireland, has in golf.
Under a piece headlined “Golf Ireland professionals receive over €350,000 in funding from Sport Ireland” it noted Government support for golf facilities remained robust, “with nearly €30m provided to golf under the Community Sports Facilities Fund since 2015. This included €13.4m awarded to 142 golf projects in the most recent funding round.”
It added that with the Ryder Cup returning to Ireland in 2027, the Government has committed €8.5 million in financial support for key professional golf tournaments, including the Amgen Irish Open, KPMG Women’s Irish Open, HotelPlanner Tour and OFX Irish Legends Tour events.
What it means is Government has a say in the venue choice, as do sponsors.
Irish Open title sponsor, US biotech firm Amgen, has not said much about Doonbeg. They are busy looking after shareholder needs in a changing landscape.
Last week, on September 26th, a FirstWorld Pharma website reported Amgen would invest $650 million to expand its US manufacturing network, with a major buildout of its biological facility in Puerto Rico, a territory of the US, that is expected to create hundreds of jobs.
Rory McIlroy celebrates winning the Amgen Irish Open with his wife Erica Stoll and daughter Poppy. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho
The move came hot on the heels of president Trump warning that companies could be hit with a 100 per cent levy on all branded or patented products starting October 1st if they are not currently building a pharma manufacturing plant in the country.
It was in 2023 that Amgen, a large employer in Ireland, announced it would pump millions of euro into the Irish Open leading up to and including the 2027 event. The company has supported the sport handsomely.
The disappointing piece regarding Doonbeg is that a national event and one of Ireland’s sporting gems, which had an enormous success at The K Club this year, where Rory McIlroy won in a thrilling playoff with Joakim Lagergren, has been moved for what many people believe are transparently political purposes.
In that transaction, the Irish Open has been degraded to the level of a bargaining chip and what was previously an event that the country could gather around has instantly polarised opinion.
The Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) said the decision was “shameful”, describing the move as “another example of appeasing Donald Trump”.
In the 2025 list of Irish Golfer Magazine’s top 100 courses, Doonbeg was ranked as the 14th best links course in the country, with Royal Portrush, which hosted this year’s Open Championship, in first place.
The European Club in Wicklow, Lahinch in Clare and about 30 miles from Doonbeg, Co Sligo at Rosses Point, the Island in north Dublin, Baltray in Louth, Kerry’s Waterville and Ballybunion, Portmarnock and Rosapenna in Donegal were all ranked better links courses than Doonbeg.
Carne in Mayo and Tralee were also listed above the 2026 Irish Open venue. The K Club was ranked the second-best parkland course in Ireland behind Adare Manor, the venue for the 2027 Ryder Cup.
The golf course at Adare Manor, Limerick.
Sure, lists are subjective, guaranteed to get people roaring at each other and are often drawn up for just that reason.
But already organisers know they will also face logistical headaches at the Clare course with traffic access and egress issues.
The isolated headland location and limited scope for parking means special arrangements will need to be made to bus limited numbers of spectators in and out, although that is not uncommon for links venues.
In contrast the R&A said in July that “big logistical issues” around local infrastructure had to be overcome before the Trump-owned Turnberry could be awarded the Open Championship again.
The Ayrshire venue, regarded as one of the best in golf, last hosted the world’s oldest Major championship in 2009, five years before Trump bought the resort.
The R&A’s chief executive Mark Darbon said the course remained in its pool of venues but claimed there was “some work to do on the road, rail and accommodation infrastructure around Turnberry”.
Eric Trump, who heads up his father’s real estate business, including 18 golf courses, told the BBC: “I think the elephant in the room was, frankly, politics.”
Eric Trump is probably right about Turnberry, as are many in Ireland probably right about motives around Doonbeg and a transactional US president.
Like Bethpage Black was divisive last week with the Trump factor baked into the Ryder Cup cake, the choice of the Co Clare course ensures the Irish Open next September will be about more than just golf.
