Strong Stormont Presence at Portrush

Northern Ireland’s First Minister, Peter Robinson, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuiness and Tourism Minister Arlene Foster were among a number of leading politicians from Stormont and Westminster attending the Irish Open at Royal Portrush Golf Club.

The high ranking officials were special guests of The European Tour and host club Royal Portrush during the opening round of the first Irish Open in Northern Ireland for almost 60 years, which drew a massive crowd to the scenic Antrim Coast venue.

Despite a day of unsettled weather – bright sunshine mixed with heavy rain and a brief suspension for a lightening threat – the first round of the tournament was enjoyed by the spectators and the political delegation who spent several hours on the site.

The First Minister and Deputy First Minister were welcomed to Royal Portrush by European Tour Chief Executive George O’Grady, Chairman of the host club’s Championship Committee, John Bamber and Club Captain John Moss.

They were joined, close to the 18th green as they watched some of the world’s best golfers passing through, by Howard Hastings, Chairman of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board.

The Ministerial delegation toured the bustling Tented Village at Royal Portrush, stopping at many of the individual units, before visiting the Practice Range and spending some time with local Portrush resident and reigning Open Champion Darren Clarke, who has put heart and soul into ensuring the return to Northern Ireland is a huge success.

Also in attendance was Owen Paterson MP, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland at Westminster, who also toured the facility and spent some time with his political colleagues from Stormont.

Minister Foster, who has been prominent in the Irish Open’s return to Royal Portrush, was one of the early visitors to the course, watching Portrush native, Graeme McDowell, teeing off in the company of Padraig Harrington and defending champion Simon Dyson.

The Minister also congratulated Alan Dunbar from Portrush, who last week won the Amateur Championship at Royal Troon to earn an invitation to mix it with the professionals in his home town.

Wozniacki Free to Visit Irish Open

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Bradley Hails Portrush Welcome

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Keegan Bradley hailed the people of Northern Ireland as “extraordinary” as the US PGA Champion gears up for the Irish Open at Royal Portrush.

Bradley has Irish ancestors, and the 26 year old American admitted his visit to the Irish Open – which marks his first professional appearance in Europe - was a fantastic opportunity to take in the country of his forefathers.

“The area is unbelievable and the people are extraordinary,” said Bradley. “I didn’t expect it to be like this.

“They have been great to me. I got to see a lot of the local tourist spots – I’ve just been having a blast everywhere I’ve been. Everybody’s spirit has been so great, and it’s cool to come to a place and experience all of that.

“My family comes once a year. I don’t get to come – I’ve only come once when I was seven years old. My two uncles and my dad used to play in this tournament called the Three Brothers. They were the only ‘American Team’ – you have to have three brothers from Ireland and they play.

“My grandmother’s name is Kathleen Bradley, maiden name is O’Brien. She was so excited. My whole family were thrilled. It was a dream of mine to come over here and play in this tournament, and it was just great how it worked out.

“Hundreds of people have told me ‘welcome home’, which gives me chills every time they say it. It’s such a neat thing to be able to say to me, because I wasn’t sure how I was going to be accepted over here, and everybody has just been so great.”

Clarke Enjoys Special Portrush Day

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Darren Clarke believes playing at Royal Portrush helped him become Open champion at Royal St George's last year.

Clarke, who has known this week's Irish Open venue since he was a boy, said: "I moved up here when I was young, played an awful lot of my golf here and moved back a couple of years ago.

"Winning The Open was due - a lot of it was due - to the fact that I was living here and playing Royal Portrush."

Now Clarke hopes the first staging of this event in Northern Ireland since 1953 can spark him back to life.

The 43-year-old defends the claret jug at Royal Lytham in just three weeks' time and is desperately looking to find some form after a nightmare slump.

Clarke is bursting with pride that the course he knows so well has received rave reviews and that the tournament is a sell-out - the only time that has happened on the European Tour outside of a major.

"The Irish Open has always been one of my favourite tournaments and to have it here at Royal Portrush with this amount of people makes me very, very proud," Clarke said.

"It's all worked out unbelievably well. The players love it - it's almost got an Open feel, which is what I think the course deserves.

"Every one of my fellow Tour pros bar none has been full of praise already.

"The Open is the biggest and best tournament in the world - obviously I won last year, so I have to say that. But it is and for guys to come here and say everything about it feels like an Open Championship is about as big praise as anybody can give it."

The extra special nature of the week began for him on Wednesday when he partnered both his father Godfrey and older son Tyrone, plus Westlife's Shane Filan, in the curtain-raising pro-am.

Clarke has not played for a month, missing the Nordea Masters in Sweden and then the US Open because of a recurring groin strain.

He hopes the break has enabled him to start afresh in a season in which he has, amazingly, yet to survive a halfway cut.

On both his fitness and his game he described things as "not too bad", adding: "I've been down here quite a lot practising and I'm looking forward to getting back."

He had said earlier this month that he would be playing with the aid of a Zimmer frame if necessary, but it will not be necessary.

He said: "I'll crawl around. I've been working away and hopefully things will turn around pretty soon."

Rain and wind is expected during for the tournament and, having conquered foul conditions at Sandwich last July, Clarke does not mind that at all.

He added: "The forecast is for pretty normal Portrush weather. It might not be to everybody's liking, but I've played it in some pretty horrific conditions, so hopefully that will be a little bit of an advantage.

"It's a course you need to know a little bit - definitely in bad weather."