Ryder Cup-bound Rasmus Hojgaard was a late withdrawal from this week’s field, but the entry boasts seven major champions, with 17 major wins between them.
Alongside McIlroy, 2019 Open winner Shane Lowry, who won the Irish Open as an amateur in 2009, will be a star attraction for the home fans.
Three-time major winner Padraig Harrington will hope for more success, having recently lifted the Senior Open and US Senior Open titles back-to-back.
The Irishman was the 2007 Irish Open winner and has finished runner-up on three other occasions.
American Brooks Koepka, with five major wins to his name, missed out on Ryder Cup selection after a year which saw him draw a blank in terms of wins in the LIV Golf tour and miss three cuts out of four at the majors.
Koepka makes his first Irish Open appearance.
2018 Open winner Francesco Molinari competes, along with former Masters champions, England’s Danny Willett and US LIV Golf player Patrick Reed.
Tyrrell Hatton, another who will be part of the Europe team at Bethpage, is among the entry, along with his Ryder Cup team captain Luke Donald.
Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin will aim to make up for the disappointment of missing the cut at his ‘home’ Open at Royal Portrush in July, while Matteo Manassero will hope to improve on his third-place finish last year.
Recent DP World Tour winners Martin Couvra, Marco Penge, Eugenio Chacarra, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Thriston Lawrence, Ryan Gerard and Nicolai Van Dellingshausen are part of the strong field, along with four-time PGA Tour winner Jhonattan Vegas and South Africa’s Erik van Rooyen.
Sergio Garcia, victor at Druid’s Glen in 1999, was another late withdrawal.
Read the full article here
