Doonbeg braces for Irish Open spotlight as Trump attendance remains possible

Doonbeg general manager Joe Russell said that while US president Donald Trump would like to attend the Irish Open in September, there has not yet been any confirmation

Doonbeg general manager Joe Russell: "There is a very positive vibe here towards the Trump organisation." Pic: (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Irish Open organisers have plans in place to cope with the inevitable disruption that would come should US president Donald Trump decide to attend this year’s tournament at his eponymous resort in Doonbeg.

Joe Russell, the long-time general manager of the Trump International Golf Links in Co. Clare, explained on Tuesday that, while the sitting president would like to make the September event, there is not yet any confirmation one way or the other.

Trump’s attendance would kickstart an enormous security and logistical operation far beyond that required for any normal sporting event, as has been witnessed numerous times in the course of his time in the Oval Office.

His presence at the Ryder Cup in New York last year caused major time delays and access issues for spectators at the Bethpage course and he was roundly booed at Madison Square Garden for game three of the NBA finals this week.

Trump’s presence at the Garden occasion left ticketholders queueing for hours in a line that stretched for more than two blocks before the Knicks-Spurs game and he was clearly catcalled when he appeared on a large screen during the national anthem.

New York is a heavily Democrat town but the Republican president is obviously a divisive figure worldwide and the decision last year to award the Irish Open to Trump Doonbeg invited inevitable criticism from some quarters.

The prospect of protests is high.

This will be the first time the Irish Open has been played in Clare since the 2019 running in Lahinch when environmental protesters interrupted play briefly by entering the 18th green with a banner before being removed by security.

Russell believes the local community is fully behind the event coming to the course.

“I can’t speak for the entire community when I say this but based on the reaction which I am seeing since the announcement I think people are welcoming the disruption. Whatever shape that is going to take.

“People are very engaged. There is a local community, a sub-group, which has been formed within the community to work with the DP World Tour and those engagements are very, very positive.

“The situation as it relates to President Trump and the entire world, there is nothing we can do to control what’s going on in the world, but one thing I can say to you is that since the Trump organisation has taken this resort over it has gone on an upward trend ever since.

“Not only the resort but the people working at the resort, the people in the community who are benefiting socially, economically and every other way from the resort. There is a very positive vibe here towards the Trump organisation. That’s as much as we can control.” 

Paul Gillmon, the tournament director, addressed the same issue by turning the conversation to the golf and specifically the attraction that is the Doonbeg links course and presence of players such as Rory McIlroy.

It wasn’t a satisfactory response to an issue that is far more important than sport but Gillmon was able to point to sales figures that show how the Sunday is already sold out and with the Saturday not far off the same status.

How it all unfolds logistically will be interesting given Doonbeg’s location on the western seaboard and the absence of infrastructure surrounding it. In that sense, it may be the most challenging since Ballyliffen hosted in Donegal in 2018.

Gillmon expects a figure of 70-75,000 spectators over the course of the week. That would be very much in line with the footfall for The K Club last year when McIlroy claimed his second title after a play-off.

The DP World Tour team visited the area last February to give a presentation to roughly 300 locals and among the points made that evening was a commitment to bring as little disruption as possible to the area during the tournament and in the build-up.

“The goal is always to create a positive impact,” said Gillmon. “We don’t hide away from the fact that disruption happens when you try and bring an event of this scale to a part of Ireland that perhaps isn’t necessarily getting this kind of traffic and numbers of people on a daily basis.

“We continue to work with everyone in the community to plan around that and make sure that we are creating a positive impact, causing as little disruption and where that disruption is then communicating that. It is inevitable that there will be some impact to the local community.”