IAN POULTER WILL bid to fine-tune his Open preparations when he tees it up at Lahinch in July, after the Englishman today joined a growing field for the 2019 Irish Open.
In another boost for tournament organisers, Poulter has confirmed he will travel to County Clare to play on the famous west of Ireland links between 4-7 July.
Poulter’s commitment to his first appearance in the Republic of Ireland in 13 years now means four of the current top five in the Race to Dubai standings will be present, including Shane Lowry, Justin Harding and Louis Oosthuizen.
The 2019 Irish Open will be hosted by Paul McGinley, who takes over from Rory McIlroy, with the likes of Lee Westwood, Tommy Fleetwood and Danny Willett also already confirmed to be part of the field.
Poulter last played the Irish Open in 2017 at Portstewart Golf Club, while his last appearance south of the border came at Carton House in 2006.
“I’m very much looking forward to playing the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open,” he said.
“It’s been a while and to play a run of tournaments leading up to The Open Championship is going to be great.
“Lahinch will be a good test, a great links golf course — I haven’t played it yet but Ireland has some of the world’s best golf courses. The Irish are great fans and always have been great fans. They’re true followers of golf, they’re respectful, they know good shots especially in tough conditions and I expect them to be as good as they always are.
“It’s going to be a great tournament with Paul McGinley supporting the event. Paul’s a good friend of mine — I’ve known him now for a very long time as a friend and obviously as a Ryder Cup Captain. He’s a guy that I really respect.”
The 2020 Ryder Cup captain Pádraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell and defending champion Russell Knox have also confirmed their participation, with tickets for all four days still available here.
They said they needed a new postman in Lahinch, think I can do the job? 🤣#DDFIrishOpen pic.twitter.com/QznSYw6f9C
— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) April 24, 2019
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