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The DP World Tour will now head to Straffan, County Kildare, Ireland, for the 2023 Irish Open, which will be played from Thursday, September 7 to Sunday, September 10 at the K Club. The K Club, Palmer North, will host the event for the second time after first hosting it in 2016.
The Irish Open will serve as an important warm-up for several European players ahead of the 2023 Ryder Cup. Local stars Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry will be in action over the next four days. The tee times for the first two rounds have been announced, and there are some exciting pairings to look forward to.
Here's a look at five intriguing pairs at the K Club this week.
Five interesting pairs to look at the Irish Open 2023
1) Rory McIlroy, Adrian Meronk and Billy Horschel
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This is expected to be the most exciting group at the K Club. The 2016 winner, Rory McIlroy, defending champion Adrian Meronk, and World No. 48 Billy Horschel are paired together for the first round at 2 a.m. ET.
While McIlroy will be seeking some match practice ahead of the Ryder Cup, Meronk aims to defend his title. Meronk faced a setback at the Rome event despite holding the third position in the Road to Dubai standings.
Horschel's most recent professional victory was at the 2022 Memorial Tournament, and he is coming off a fourth-place finish at the Wyndham Championship.
2) Shane Lowry, Min Woo Lee and Ryan Fox
Shane Lowry won the Irish Open in 2009 as an amateur. Despite his struggles this year, he was selected by Luke Donald for the Ryder Cup. The golfer will try to regain some confidence at this week's event.
Min Woo Lee was last seen at the 151st Open, where he finished tied for 41st. The third name in the group is Ryan Fox, who finished as the runner-up last year. The trio will tee off from Hole 10 on Thursday, September 7, at 1:50 am ET.
3) Padraig Harrington, Tom McKibbin, and Tom Hoge
Padraig Harrington is the former Irish Open champion, who won in 2007 by beating Bradley Dredge in a playoff. He is paired with Tom McKibbin of Northern Ireland and Tom Hoge of the US.
The trio will tee off on Thursday from Hole 1 at 4:50 am.
4) John Catlin, Jamie Donaldson, and Ross Fisher
The 2020 champion, John Catlin, the 2012 winner Jamie Donaldson, and the 2010 champion, Ross Fisher, are grouped together for the first two rounds of the Irish Open.
The trio will tee off together at 2:50 am in the first round from the 10th hole.
5) Thomas Bjørn, Rasmus Hojgaard, and Alexander Bjork
2006 winner Thomas Bjørn is grouped with four-time DP World Tour winner Rasmus Hojgaard and Alexander Bjork. Bjork is returning after a runner-up finish at last week's Omega European Masters. Last year, he made his first top-20 finish at the Irish Open in five starts.
The trio will tee off from the tenth hole at 2:10 am on Thursday for the first round.
