In 2007, Royal County Down was ranked the best golf course outside of the United States by Golf Digest, finishing ahead of courses like St. Andrews (in fact ahead of every course on the Open Championship rota) and Royal Melbourne. The picturesque golf course in Newcastle, County Down will host this year’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open and it will boast of a stellar international field. World number one Rory McIlroy has the honour of hosting the tournament in his home county. The tournament has a major feel with the holders of four of the five biggest tournaments in golf paired together for the first two days. Players Champion Rickie Fowler, US Open Champion Martin Kaymer and Open and PGA Champion Rory McIlroy will star in the marquee grouping, getting their tournaments off to an early start at 8am GMT on Thursday morning.

To highlight the quality of the field, last year’s tournament had three players in the top 50 of the world ranking. This year, there are fourteen players from the top 50 of the world ranking, including European Ryder Cup heroes Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood, who have fit this event into their schedules for the first time in quite a number of years. Former world number one Ernie Els and Luke Donald add further quality to the field. Ireland’s finest golfers will also be in appearance – Shane Lowry, Padraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell et al will be hoping for home glory. Many of the top European Tour players will be present including last week’s impressive winner Byeong-hun An and the always impressive Miguel Angel Jimenez. The galleries will hope to see the Spaniard make it three weeks in a row of hole-in-ones and three weeks in a row of his trademark victory dance.

The combination of the course and field has made this event into one of the highlights of the European Tour schedule. This is the first professional event that Royal County Down has hosted in seventy-six years, with logistical reasons a factor. The course has a limited capacity that has unsurprisingly sold-out but it will not reach the numbers that attended Royal Portrush for the Irish Open in 2012 for example. For those lucky enough to be there, they will enjoy some of the world’s best take on a classic test of golf. Notwithstanding the quality of the Royal County Down track, hosting the Irish Open on a links course at this time of year is instantly attractive to an ambitious golfer. The season revolves around the four major championships and with the Open Championship approaching in less than two months, tournament competition on similar terrain is the perfect preparation for the big week in July. This was no doubt a consideration for Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia, good links players who have yet to break their major duck.

Two holes to watch out for on the Royal County Down layout this week are the fourth and ninth holes. The fourth hole plays up to 225 years with a tricky wind to deal with for an aspiring champion. Gorse and bunkers surround a long, narrow green amidst spectacular views. Missing the green offers a variety of short-game challenges. The ninth hole has a postcard-like feel with Slieve Donard constantly in the background for golfers playing this hole. A blind tee shot is played to not a particularly wide fairway with an approach shot to an undulating green. Both holes capture the essence of the course, challenging but beautiful.