All roads lead north for the 2017 Irish Open, writes Kevin Markham

This summer’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open has received another boost of star power after world number 12 and rising Spanish star Jon Rahm added his name to the entry list.

Gary Hurley will look to make the most of home comforts when the European Challenge Tour returns to Ireland for the Volopa Irish Challenge hosted by Mount Wolseley Hotel Spa and Golf Resort.

Golf star Rory McIlroy has secured close to €1 million for three children’s charities on the back of the Irish Open tournament.

Rory McIlroy’s presentation speech hit all the right notes but a “see you soon” as a sign off will be music to the ears of of Dubai Duty Free chiefs.

The head of a charity that provides nursing care and support for children with severe neurological development issues has praised golf star Rory McIlroy for donating his Irish Open prize money to the cause.

An emotional Rory McIlroy said donating his €666,000 winner’s prize to charities made his first Dubai Duty Free Irish Open victory even more special.

Between the hailstones and rain drops came the tear drops of a champion.

Dubai Duty Free chief Colm McLoughlin wants the Irish Open prize fund raised to €7 million and the European Tour event pushed further into the summer.

A lot has happened to Shane Lowry since he won his national title as an amateur in 2009, yet adding an Irish Open victory as a professional is very much a serious goal for the world number 35.

One year on from a whirlwind few days that ended with Rory McIlroy seeking his autograph, one promising young golfer is continuing to hit new highs as he prepares for the upcoming Irish Open.

She always thought of golf clubs as a place for the boys. So when the team behind the Irish Open offered Ciara McDonnell a crash course, she accepted – to see if the boys’ club was no more.

The owners of the five-star Lough Erne Resort last night said they “extremely disappointed” at the European Tour’s decision not to host the 2017 Irish Open at the Fermanagh resort.

Tiger Woods could be set to make his return to The K Club for next year’s Irish Open — 10 years after the USA’s crushing Ryder Cup defeat and Darren Clarke’s tears of joy.

He may not have enjoyed his two days’ play at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open but Rory McIlroy had got his missed cut out of his system by Sunday to declare the tournament he hosted an incredible success.

Another year, another Irish Open and the debates continue as to the best venue and time of year to play one of the most popular tournaments on the European Tour.

Rory McIlroy refused to blame his responsibilities as tournament host at Royal County Down as he crashed out of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.

Rory McIlroy’s injection of golfing Hollywood into the Irish Open was manifestly evident approaching 8am yesterday, as elements of the game’s royalty limbered up to unleash their opening shots of the 2015 renewal.

Rory McIlroy may be the tournament host but he will do all he can to avoid being merely part of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open presentation party on Sunday evening.

Sport has always been about its sounds as much as its sights and the opening day of this year’s Irish Open, which is held for the first time in 76 years at a scenic but unsettled Royal County Down, brought that home yet again.

A new title sponsor, superstar host, stellar field and a bigger prizefund. As if things were not already going swimmingly for the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, organisers last night confirmed that today’s first-round ticket sales at Royal County Down (RCD) had made the tournament completely sold out.

Rory McIlroy will put his money where his mouth is when he tees off at Royal County Down this morning by pledging to donate any prize money he earns at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open to his charity.

With a playing group that could be lifted straight from a major championship draw, Rory McIlroy will tee off at Royal County Down tomorrow with praise ringing in his ears for putting the Irish Open back on the golfing map.

Rory McIlroy might feel he has unfinished business at this week’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open but there’s no doubt in Paul McGinley’s mind that the young Ulster man has nothing to prove at Royal County Down.

Rory McIlroy has paid tribute to the role Alex Ferguson played in motivating him above all others on the European team at last September’s Ryder Cup.

European Ryder Cup heroes Victor Dubuisson, Jamie Donaldson and Miguel Angel Jimenez have become the latest stars to confirm their plans to play Royal Co Down in two weeks as the entry deadline closed for this year’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.

The Dubai Duty Free Irish Open may have migrated north for this year’s prestigious European Tour event but while the tournament heads to Royal County Down next month, schoolchildren up and down the country have a chance to bring the winners’ trophy and the Open’s famed Claret Jug to their classroom.

When John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote “With a Little Help from My Friends” they never have imagined it would become one of the biggest sellers of all time. 

Rory McIlroy might be big box office, but the Irish Open still needs a commitment from the Irish Government to ensure the event builds on the momentum of what promises to be an 80,000 sellout at Royal County Down next May.

Rory McIlroy has opened a new support centre for children with cancer and vowed to see it replicated elsewhere.

Rory McIlroy has opened a new support centre for children with cancer in the North and vowed to see it replicated elsewhere.

US Ryder Cup star Rickie Fowler is keen on a Walker Cup reunion with Rory McIlroy at next season’s Irish Open at Royal County Down.

Rory McIlroy hopes his decision to host the Irish Open at Royal County Down next year will help restore the event to its former glory.

Superstar golfer Rory McIlroy is facing his biggest challenge to date — but in the courts, not on the course.

Former world number one Rory McIlroy has confirmed he has left Horizon Sports Management to create his own management group.

American milk cartons often feature pleas for information about tragic cases of child abduction — mysterious tales of disappearances that would soften even the hardest of hearts.