All-star cast set for the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open
MARTIN Kaymer is the latest Major Champion to add his name to the all-star cast for the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Hosted by the Rory Foundation, which will be played at The K Club from May 19-22.
Kaymer will be joined by a whole host of fellow Ryder Cup players and European Tour winners in Co. Kildare for the 61st edition of Ireland’s national Open, which will again be hosted by Rory McIlroy’s charitable foundation.
Tickets to see Kaymer, McIlroy and an array of home-grown and international stars in action can be purchased at www.dubaidutyfreeirishopen.com.
Kaymer will be making his fourth appearance in the €4 million tournament, with a tied tenth finish at Adare Manor in 2008 his best performance to date. The German has not won a regular European Tour event for five years – his last victory was the 2014 US Open Championship – but he will have been encouraged by a top six finish on his last outing at Valderrama two weeks ago.
Kaymer said: “It’s going to be a big summer for a lot of players, and I’ll be looking to get off to the perfect start at the Irish Open. I’ve only played The K Club once, in the 2007 European Open, and although it maybe wasn’t my best week on the course, I can remember being really impressed by it.
“The Irish people love their golf and really get behind the players, so it should make for a great atmosphere, especially with such a strong field there. The crowds always turn up and show their support, and that’s one of the main reasons why I enjoy playing in Ireland.”
Much like The K Club, which hosted a memorable Ryder Cup in 2006, Kaymer became synonymous with golf’s greatest team contest after holing the putt which ensured the trophy would remain in European hands at Medinah Country Club in 2012. A strong showing at The K Club under the watchful eye of Europe’s 2016 Captain, Darren Clarke, would enhance Kaymer’s claims for a fourth straight Ryder Cup appearance.
Similarly, Spaniard Rafa Cabrera Bello, the English trio of Matt Fitzpatrick, Andy Sullivan and Chris Wood, defending champion Soren Kjeldsen of Denmark, and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger will also be looking to forward their cases for inclusion in Europe’s line-up.
Cabrera Bello, Kjeldsen, Fitzpatrick and Sullivan all currently occupy automatic qualifying places for The Ryder Cup, while McIlroy and Masters Tournament champion Danny Willett – who will also be teeing up at The K Club – have already confirmed their places at Hazeltine National in September.
Tickets for this year’s Dubai Duty Free Irish are priced at only €30 per day with a season ticket costing just €70 for the entire four days. A portion of all tickets sales this year will go towards the Rory Foundation which was established by Rory McIlroy in 2013 to help children live better lives by raising funds and offering support to children’s charities around the world.
