How Rory McIlroy ‘Single-Handedly’ Rescued a Nearly 100-Year-Old Golf Tournament From Dying

The first time Rory McIlroy played the Irish Open at The K-Club, he dominated the field by 3 strokes to capture the crystal trophy. At least that’s what it looks like on paper. However, only those who watched the event knew that he was still evenly matched with Bradley Dredge and Russell Knox up until the 15th hole. A birdie on the 16th and an eagle on the 18th helped him separate himself from the competition. That’s probably when he also fell in love with the tournament.

What’s not to love about it? It’s been one of the oldest golf tournaments. The Irish Open first came into existence in 1927, about half a decade before the Masters Tournament was first played. It has seen some of the biggest names triumph on Irish soil over the years. Seve Ballesteros, Jon Rahm, Sir Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie, and many more have won the event. In fact, there was a time Faldo refused to let anyone else take the title for him for three years from 1991 to 1993.

McIlroy also expressed how pleased he was to win the National Open, “It’s something quite close to my heart, to win the Irish Open, to win your National Open, you don’t get many opportunities to do that.” He wasn’t wrong about that. In the 69 editions of the Irish Open, only 5 Irish golfers and 2 from Northern Ireland have won the tournament. McIlroy was incredibly grateful to be one of the 7 Irish winners, and he showed that by ensuring that the tradition of the Irish Open lives on.

He donated all of the $750,000 that he earned from winning the tournament back to the charity aligned with the tournament. As reported by The New York Times, it was his own charity, the Rory Foundation, that was working with the Irish Open to help the children and families of the local community.

The report further details how Rory had been working closely with the Irish Open since 2015 to help bring it back to life. For 4 years from 2011 to 2014, the Irish Open was played without a sponsor, and the purse was halved to just $1.5 million. That reduced the value of the event and made it less attractive for big names to participate in. That’s when the Rory Foundation collaborated with Dubai Duty Free to bring the tournament back to its glory days.

“He saved the thing single-handedly,” lauded Paul McGinley, a European Tour veteran. Rory McIlroy’s efforts had been acknowledged immensely by his peers. While it had not turned back into a “festival” of golf, as Padraig Harrington called it, it still regained its relevance on the DP World Tour calendar. In fact, the three years after McIlroy’s win in 2016, the Irish Open was also a part of the DP World Tour Rolex Series, which offered a lucrative purse won by Jon Rahm twice.

From the $291,137 that Simon Dyson was rewarded for winning the event in 2011, the prize money went up to $1,204,702 for Rahm’s win in 2019. The tournament would have continued to feature in the Rolex Series if it weren’t for COVID-19. After two years of a hiccup, it retained its glory and continues to offer about $1 million to the winner.

And this year, the Amgen Irish Open is promised to be one of the biggest it has been in years. As Rory McIlroy comes back to The K Club, he will be eager to win the crystal trophy for the second time in his career. But it won’t come that easily for the Northern Irishman.

Rory McIlroy watches his efforts pay off as he faces a difficult challenge in the Irish Open

The 2025 Amgen Irish Open has set the stage as the perfect place for many of the top European golfers to catch up before their Ryder Cup challenge. Yes, this is one of the last big tournaments in the DP World Tour calendar before Team Europe heads to Bethpage to face the Americans. Hence, the field is completely packed with some great golfers. Apart from Rory McIlroy, who’s making his third consecutive appearance in the event, the defending champion, Rasmus Højgaard, is on the course.

Local hero and one of the few golfers to win the Irish Open as an amateur, Shane Lowry, is also playing the tournament. LIV Golf pro Tyrrell Hatton has also been on the field in Ireland after he decided to skip the National Open in 2024. Interestingly, Team Europe captain Luke Donald has also joined his players in the 2025 Amgen Irish Open.

Interestingly, American pro, Brooks Koepka, took a surprise trip to Ireland to play the tournament. Due to a bad run of form, Koepka wasn’t considered to be a part of the Team U.S. squad by Keegan Bradley. This will be the first time he has missed the Ryder Cup since 2016. Looking to regain his form, the 5-time major winner decided he could get some practice in against some of the best golfers in the world. He could have tried to get an exemption for the 2025 Procore Championship as well. But considering how Bryson DeChambeau‘s attempt was rejected, there is no reason the PGA Tour would reward Brooks Koepka a place in the Napa Valley field.

Either way, with so many major winners on the course, it’s evident that the 2025 Amgen Irish Open has turned into a huge event. And Rory McIlroy & his team deserve a lot of credit for pulling it out of near-extinction back in 2015.