Heavyweights join Open field
The field for the €2m event is further enhanced by the popular Eduardo Romero of Argentina and England's Brian Davis, who has enjoyed impressive early season performances on the US PGA Tour, where he finished joint third in the weather-affected Nissan Open and joint seventh in the Shell Houston Open.
Welcoming the announcement, Nissan Ireland executive chairman Gerard O'Toole said: "This is a tremendous line-up. With each successive year of our sponsorship, the event has attracted a strong field of leading golfers and this year we are witnessing the greatest line-up yet. We look forward to the coming weeks as the build-up to the third Nissan Irish Open continues."
McDowell, one of Europe's rising stars, is making a significant mark on the global stage.
On the US PGA Tour this year, he was joint runner-up in the Bay Hill Invitational and eighth in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
In Europe, he captured his maiden European Tour title on only his fourth start in the 2002 Volvo Scandinavian Masters and followed that with victory in the 61st Telecom Italia Open during an excellent 2004 season that saw him finish sixth on the Order of Merit.
Casey is another of Europe's young guns who will be teeing up at Carton House.
Casey has won four times on the European Tour, including the TCL Classic in China earlier this season, but in 2004 it was in team golf that he made the greatest impression, playing a pivotal role in Europe's Ryder Cup victory at Oakland Hills, before linking up with Luke Donald at the end of the season to steer England to victory in the World Golf Championships World Cup in Spain.
Jimenez, ranked 18th in the world, was Europe's most prolific champion in 2004 as the Spaniard claimed five titles in the calendar year.
Last September, Westwood became one of only six players to be unbeaten in all five matches in The Ryder Cup when he won 4½ points at Oakland Hills, and he will be looking to add to his 16 European Tour titles when he tees up in Ireland.
The inclusion of Casey, Jimenez and Westwood means that eight of Europe's 2004 Ryder Cup team have confirmed their participation in the event, with Darren Clarke, Harrington, Padraig Harrington, Paul McGinley, David Howell and Colin Montgomerie in the field.
Olazabal, Masters champion in 1994 and 1999, is showing signs of a return to his best, having picked up four top tens in America this year, including losing out in a play-off in the BellSouth Classic and finishing third in the Shell Houston Open.
O'Hern is one of Europe's most consistent performers, registering 11 top tens, including two second places in 2004, on his way to finishing 12th on the Order of Merit.
The Argentine pair of Cabrera and Romero are two of the game's most popular ambassadors.
Cabrera, winner of two European Tour titles, finished one place above O'Hern in the 2004 Order of Merit in 11th place, thanks primarily to four top-four finishes.
His mentor Romero, despite reaching the 50 milestone in 2004, continues to challenge at the very top of the game.
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