Tranlate this title Donald Trump set to attend Irish Open as golf stars arrive at his Doonbeg course in spanish

Donald Trump is expected to be among the most recognizable faces at this year’s Irish Open, with the US President planning to attend the tournament at his golf course in Doonbeg.

The Irish Open will be played at Trump International Golf Links & Hotel in County Clare, with several well-known players preparing to compete for the title.

Rory McIlroy will once again attract a lot of attention after winning the tournament last year. The Northern Irishman produced a memorable finish at The K Club in 2025, forcing a playoff with an eagle on the final hole before eventually defeating Joakim Lagergren.

Rory will now have the opportunity to win the Irish Open for a third time, but the competition around him is quite serious.

Jon Rahm is another former winner in the field. The Spaniard won the tournament in 2017 and 2019 and will also be looking for a third trophy.

Shane Lowry, Padraig Harrington and Seamus Power will give Irish fans more players to follow, while Brooks Koepka, Tyrrell Hatton, Joaquin Niemann and Robert MacIntyre are also expected to compete.

For Trump, however, this tournament will have a completely different meaning because it is being played at a property he has owned since 2014.

Trump is expected to watch the tournament at his own course

The Doonbeg course opened in 2002 after being designed by former world No. 1 Greg Norman. It was later redesigned by Martin Hawtree before Trump bought the property and changed its name.

The course is quite unusual compared to many Tour venues because it includes five par-fives and five par-threes.

Trump has spoken positively about Doonbeg many times and earlier this summer suggested that he wanted to make the trip to Ireland for the tournament.

“I think I’m going to come over and I think I’m going to see it and we’re going to watch Rory and all the great players,” Trump said when discussing the event.

His trip will not be focused only on golf.

The US President is expected to arrive in Ireland on Saturday and meet Irish President Catherine Connolly and Taoiseach Micheál Martin during separate engagements in Dublin before traveling to County Clare.

Trump could then attend the closing stages of the Irish Open and potentially present the trophy to the winner on Sunday.

His presence will also create additional security around the tournament. Irish authorities have been preparing for the visit for some time, while protests against Trump are also expected in Ireland.

Doonbeg has become an important part of Trump’s golf business over the years. His company owns a number of courses around the world, including properties in Scotland, Ireland and the United States.

The Irish Open therefore brings together two areas that have followed Trump for a long time: politics and golf.

Trump has often defended how much time he spends around golf

Trump’s love for golf is far from a secret, but it has also brought criticism during both of his periods in the White House.

Critics have regularly questioned whether a president should spend so much time at golf courses while dealing with political responsibilities. That criticism became quite loud during his first term and has continued at different moments since he returned to office.

In April 2025, for example, Democrats criticized Trump after he spent time at his Florida golf property while financial markets were falling following his tariff announcement. The White House continued to defend his economic policy while opponents questioned why he was on the course during such a difficult moment.

His golf trips have also sometimes raised questions because several of the courses belong to the Trump family business. During a 2025 trip to Scotland, critics argued that the visit appeared to mix presidential work with time spent promoting and visiting his own golf properties.

Trump has never accepted the idea that golf means he is not working.

When similar criticism became a topic in 2020, he described playing golf as his exercise and stressed that he normally completed rounds quickly.

“My ‘exercise’ is playing, almost never during the week, a quick round of golf,” Trump said.

He later added that he plays “VERY fast” and claimed that he also gets work done while on the course.

The President has also spoken much more directly about his feelings for the sport.

“I love golf, I love even the exercise,” Trump said during a golf television appearance in 2020, while also praising professional players and the game itself.

Trump once explained another reason why he believes golf can be useful for political figures. Before becoming president, he said relationships can develop on a golf course and that leaders can get to know each other better while playing.

This weekend in Ireland will again combine his political position with one of his biggest personal interests, as Trump first carries out meetings in Dublin before heading to Doonbeg to watch some of the best golfers compete at his own course.