2024 Amgen Irish Open makes triumphant return to Royal County Down

Situated about 30 miles due south of Belfast city center, the seaside town of Newcastle, County Down in Northern Ireland is the site of this year’s 2024 Amgen Irish Open. The host course, Royal County Down Golf Club, can be found atop many of the “Best Golf Courses in the World” lists.

With its narrow fairways that wind through elevated dunes and the stunning Mourne Mountains as its backdrop, Royal County Down should provide a stern test for some of the best golfers in the world.

Amgen Irish Open Returns to Royal County Down in 2024

The drive from Belfast is a scenic one, with rolling green hills and sheep dotting the landscape as far as the eye can see. As you enter the quaint seaside village of Newcastle, you’ll discover an unassuming driveway that leads to Royal County Down Golf Club.

Located in the Murlough Nature Reserve along Dundrum Bay, Royal County Down boasts 18 exhilarating holes of championship links golf and some of the most stunning views you’ll see on a golf course.

Indeed, the course will certainly be the star of the show this week. Opened in 1889, it features tight fairways, rolling dunes, wispy heather, fierce gorse, and blind shots. Eager to gobble up stray shots, RCD’s famous ‘Bearded Bunkers’ feature overhanging lips that punish players who get too aggressive from the sand.

But don’t just take my word for it. World Golf Hall of Fame writer, Bernard Darwin, once said of RCD:

"…big and glorious carries, nestling greens, entertainingly blind shots, local knowledge, and beautiful turf – the kind of golf that people play in their most ecstatic dreams."

- Bernard Darwin

Pay special attention to Royal County Down’s 9th hole which is one of the most photographed golf holes across the globe. With the imposing Mourne Mountains looming in the background, this 486-yard par 4 plays 60-feet downhill to an undulating fairway. From there, players must navigate two bunkers just short of the elevated green, hoping for a chance for birdie before making the turn.

DP World Tour Players Make Push Going into Final Stretch of the 2024 Season

Throughout its history, the Amgen Irish Open has produced a whose who of legendary winners, including Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Colin Montgomerie, and Bernhard Langer, all of whom won it three times. More recent winners include Shane Lowry (won in 2009 as an amateur), Jon Rahm (2019), and Rory McIlroy (2016).

Speaking of McIlroy, the Northern Irishman grew up just an hour away in Holywood and has traversed the links of RCD many times. He’ll be eager to play well in front of the home crowd after a disappointing, by his own admission, second half of the PGA Tour season.

Rising star Tom McKibbin, another player from Northern Ireland with ties to RCD, will also be looking to regain form after missing the cut in three of his last five events. He currently sits at 17th in the Race To Dubai Rankings and is looking to secure his place in the DP World Tour's season-ending DP World Tour Championship.

Other notables in the field at this week’s Amgen Irish Open include Robert MacIntyre, Shane Lowry, the Hojgaard twins – Rasmus and Nicolai – and Ryder Cup legends Padraig Harrington and current European Ryder Cup captain, Luke Donald.

The Weather Will Play a Crucial Role in the 2024 Amgen Irish Open

There’s no doubt that one of the elements that makes links golf so compelling is the often turbulent, unpredictable weather. Good news for fans who enjoy a little carnage on the golf course, maybe not so good for the players who must play golf in it.

Nonetheless, weather is always a factor on a links course, and this week won’t be any different. The forecast calls for temperatures in the 50s and 60s with steady “breezes” between 10-20 mph with higher gusts. Rain is also in the forecast for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, enhancing the difficulty of this already challenging links test.

When players put a peg in the ground this week at Royal County Down, you will have the opportunity to see one of the greatest golf courses in the world that we don’t often have the chance to view. It presents a fantastic opportunity to not only take in an historic links course, but also to watch world-class players navigate their way around this true links test.

The Amgen Irish Open takes place from September 12-15 on the Golf Channel and NBC Sports App. Check your local listings for more details.