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Golf’s biggest event, the Ryder Cup, is set to arrive in the Republic of Ireland for the first time since 1991 at the 18-hole Adare Manor resort.
USPGA Championship winner Rory McIlroy and Olympic gold medallist Justin Rose are among a host of well-known names likely to make up the 24-man Team Europe at Adare.
Add to that potential selections for the US side Charley Hoffman, Rickie Fowler, Jim Furyk and Jordan Spieth, and the fate of the trophy could well be decided in a sheltered inland lane in County Limerick.
The tournament will be played at both the par-72 Colm Toibin Course and the 17th-hole Glenmaur course, located on the Victorian Heritage Open-Course development adjacent to the hotel.
“To have this golf tournament home to Adare Manor is a dream come true for myself and the entire golf club,” said our North-South amateur links of the year.
I’m honoured that my homecoming is taking place at Adare – I will treat it as the biggest golfing event of my life Rory McIlroy
“With the support of all golfing associations and golf professionals, we will deliver a truly special Ryder Cup.
“Adare Manor have hosted the Irish PGA Championship four times and I’m sure it will grow into a regular venue here in the future.
“I’m honoured that my homecoming is taking place at Adare – I will treat it as the biggest golfing event of my life and look forward to the competition next year.”
The Centre Court Hotel, which has hosted some of Ireland’s best golfing export Rory McIlroy, will again open the doors to the Adare clubhouse to host the parties on Sunday evening and will be open to the public during the week.
A parade will then take place on the nearby Northern Lights Drive with a ‘Welcome to Adare’ parade on Wednesday September 26th to be conducted by Mayor of Limerick, Michael Phelan, Limerick County Council Mayor Michael Deery and Adare manor member O’Donovan
Adare Manor will also play host to the official St Patrick’s Day parade in 2016 and will likely be dotted with stops for the public to stop for photos.
The Adare Manor appeal has several advantages for both sides in terms of player availability.
The one condition is that the US players have to play the eight-round PGA Tour Championship later this month before they can be selected and as such, 2013 Player of the Year Justin Rose and 2012 Ryo Ishikawa cannot be pick.
Despite this limitation, any player who is named in the US Ryder Cup team will be guaranteed a minimum of 17 appearances on the PGA Tour.
The USA’s players will be also be given a further week off to rest after the event as opposed to Ireland’s side, who will not get back to work until after the USPGA Championship takes place from 27-30 September.
Ireland was the last country to host the Ryder Cup before Sweden’s insistence on taking the event away in 1992 in favour of other countries only added to the enormity of the event and required the US to make the decision to return to Ireland.