The company has historic links to the event, with former chairman of Jefferson Smurfit Group – and father of Tony - Michael Smurfit, playing a key role in bringing the 2006 Ryder Cup to the K Club in Kildare.

Smurfit Westrock joins Capgemini, DP World, SAP, and Rolex as worldwide partners for the 2027 Ryder Cup. Estimates vary but say the deal could be worth in excess of €20m over the course of the three tournaments. "We're not publicly disclosing the investment, but what I would say is that we're very comfortable and happy with the commercial deal that we've done, and obviously Ryder Cup are too. I think we'll get plenty of great value out of this," said Mr Smurfit, who became president and group CEO of the company after the merger of Smurfit Kappa and Westrock. The company now has more than 97,000 employees worldwide.

"Around 85% of our business Martin is between Europe and the US. We have huge American business, but we have a huge Spanish business, so it made sense for us to run partner for those three tournaments.

“When Smurfit Kappa and Westrock came together, I always felt there was something that we needed to have to showcase our name. From a historical perspective, it's a wonderful symmetry but at the same time, it's also really great business sense. I believe Smurfit Westrock is one of the great companies of the world and this is the greatest golf tournament in the world.

“Partnering up with the Ryder Cup and the other partners in the Ryder Cup is a very positive move for our customers. It's a very positive move for our shareholders. It's a very positive move for our employees.” 

Ireland represents about 2% of Smurfit Westrock’s business, Mr Smurfit said. “It's not the largest portion of our business, but it's still a vitally important part of our business and our worldwide headquarters is in Dublin. We continue to add jobs here in our headquarters in Dublin and we continue to employ more and more people.

“With the combination with Westrock, we acquired about eight more sites here in the island of Ireland, some in the North, one in Westport, one in Limerick, and a couple more in Dublin. So Ireland is still a very important part of our business and this is where our heart is.” 

Michael Smurfit a trailblazer

A man whose heart is in the Ryder Cup is Tony’s father Michael, who was the driving force in bringing the event to Ireland for the first time, at the K Club in Kildare in 2006. One of Ireland’s best known businessmen, Michael is now aged 89, and lives predominantly in Monaco. "He’ll be watching every second of it but he's not really able to travel at this stage,” said Mr Smurfit. "Unfortunately he’s not able to get around as easily as he used to. He's 90 this year, but his mind is still as sharp as ever. And he's really delighted for JP McManus and his family to take on the torch, so to speak, and to lead Ireland's next journey in the Ryder Cup history. I think JP is a champion for the whole province of Munster - maybe not if you're a Cork GAA supporter! - but his drive and determination in doing what my father did is really magnificent for Ireland.

"I do these things because they're right by the business, but of course it fills me with a great degree of pride that to some extent, the symmetry of my father was a trailblazer in every sense of the word. Negotiating in the early 90s to bring the Ryder Cup to Ireland in 2006 was not an easy thing. It wasn't that long before the 80s and we all know what happened in the 80s so so to bring it to Ireland was an incredible foresight."

Trump visit to Ireland

One other golf fan who could yet make an appearance but whose presence would be more divisive is US president Donald Trump. Mr Trump’s Doonbeg course, 60kms north-west of Adare Manor, hosts this year’s Irish Open, a decision itself which ws controversial. Mr Trump said during his St Patrick’s Day meeting with Taoiseach Mícheál Martin that he is “going to try” to attend the Irish Open at Doonbeg in September. A return visit to Limerick 12 months later is then a distinct possibility.

Mr Smurfit said he left the politics to one side but “any publicity is good publicity, so I think that anything that Mr Trump brings (can show) Ireland as a golfing destination asof the best in the world. “I was talking to somebody recently who said that a lot of Canadians are coming here because they realize it's quicker to get to here than to California. They see this has been a fantastically wonderful place for them to spend their time. And so the more that we can promote our country as the most fantastic place for people to come, the better it is. And the Ryder Cup is clearly the shining star in that whole equation.

"When we did the Ryder Cup in 2006, we had a huge number of customers that came over and spent time with us, and a number of those customers still come back to Ireland once every three years or so because their first introduction to this country was the Ryder Cup. They loved their experience here. So we will have a whole new generation of people who don't know Ireland today who will coming for decades and bringing their children for decades to come. The Ryder Cup is massive for golf, it's massive for our culture, and it's massive for our country because we're going to have a huge amount of visitors that are going to promote Ireland after this."