The two major champions will tee it up alongside fellow Major champions Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Pádraig Harrington at the Horizon Irish Open.

Scott, who won the Masters Tournament in 2013, three years before Willett claimed the coveted Green Jacket in 2016, will also be making his 250th DP World Tour appearance that week.

“I’m looking forward to returning to Ireland to play in the Horizon Irish Open,” said Scott. “We’re coming up to a very exciting time in the DP World Tour season and I’m excited to play in front of the Irish crowds again after a few years.”

Adrian Meronk, the defending champion, will tee it up at The K Club alongside two-time Ryder Cup player Tyrrell Hatton and PGA TOUR winners Séamus Power and Tom Hoge. Hoge ranked 44th on the Official World Golf Ranking, will be making his first appearance in a regular DP World Tour event next month.

Poland’s Meronk will defend his title in the company of a number of Ryder Cup hopefuls, including the Højgaard twins, Nicolai and Rasmus, and Yannik Paul, with Luke Donald, also set to tee it up at The K Club, making his six Captain’s Picks on the Monday of event week.

Meronk made history at last year’s Horizon Irish Open as he became the first player from Poland to win on the DP World Tour. He has since won his second and third DP World Tour titles, with all three of his victories coming at national opens – the Horizon Irish Open, ISPS HANDA Australian Open and DS Automobiles Italian Open.

Last year, he added his name to a roll of honour that includes the likes of Seve Ballesteros, McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie, Harrington and José María Olazábal.

The Horizon Irish Open returns to The K Club this year for the first time since 2016, when McIlroy won his first professional title on Irish soil. The prestigious venue, which hosted the Ryder Cup in 2006, will also host the Irish Open in 2025 and 2027, when the tournament will celebrate its 100th anniversary the same year as Ireland hosts The Ryder Cup at Adare Manor.

There will be live music at the conclusion of play on Saturday and Sunday, with chart-toppers Scouting for Girls taking to the main stage on Saturday September 9 and The Stunning, from Galway, bringing festivities to a close after the final putt has dropped on Sunday September 10.

All tickets have sold out for Sunday September 10, with General Admission tickets selling fast for Saturday’s third round.

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The 20-year-old displayed maturity beyond his years as he battled home favourites Max Kieffer and Marcel Siem for the title at Green Eagle Golf Courses.

The three players shared the lead at one stage on the back nine. McKibbin, who made the turn three under par, recovered from dropped shots on the 11th and 13th holes with a birdie on the 15th to move clear on eight under par.

What a great win by @tommckibbin8. Not just a very talented golfer, he really is a nice lad. The future of Irish golf, European golf and Ryder cup golf is in good hands. So happy for Dave Mcneilly too, he did a fine job letting Tom play to his strengths. @DPWorldTour https://t.co/epz1GRDfxo

— Padraig Harrington (@padraig_h) June 4, 2023

Kieffer narrowly missed an eagle putt on the 18th which would have taken him to eight under, settling for a seven under par total. Siem joined him on that score with a birdie on the 72nd hole, as did Frenchman Julien Guerrier who also shared second place.

Big move up Race to Dubai Rankings

Tom McKibbin, who could now move to to 22nd on the Race to Dubai Rankings after this win, hit his drive on the 18th just right of the fairway, but then hit a nerveless five iron into the heart of the green, two-putting for birdie, a three under round of 70 and a nine under par total.

He joins Holywood Golf Club course mate Rory McIlroy as a winner on the 2023 Race to Dubai after the four-time Major Champion’s triumph at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January.

Reaction from new DP World Tour winner

Discussing his approach to today’s final round, the Co Down player, who could now move to a career-high 159th on the Official World Rankings, admitted;

“I approached it the same as the first three days. The course is hard, the way I played the first three days was good enough so I thought if I played the same sort of golf and shot three or four under it might be enough. I knew going out it was such a hard golf course that you didn’t have to force loads of birdies and there wouldn’t be too many people going too low. That helped a bit. I played it the exact same and fortunately played a little bit better.”

McKibben, who graduated from the European Challenge Tour by finishing tenth on the 2022 Road to Mallorca Rankings, become the second Ulster golfer to win the Porsche European Open following the success of Dungannon’s Darren Clarke in 2001.

Shot of the day. Shot of the week.

Take a bow, @tommckibbin8 #PEO23 pic.twitter.com/2JEOKs8gRj

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) June 4, 2023

“(My hands on 18) were alright actually,” McKibbin stated. “I hit five iron. I picked a club I knew wouldn’t go in the water. I hit it right edge of the green and if it turned over I knew it would go further, so I had no worries. But it was such a good shot, it felt pretty amazing.”

So happy to get my first win at the @PorscheEuropeanOpen on the @DpWorldTour.
A huge thank you to my Mum & Dad, my team, my caddie Dave McNeilly & my sponsors for all their support.
To everyone who has supported me – thank you, I really do appreciate it!! pic.twitter.com/XokrY6vlzS

— Tom McKibbin (@tommckibbin8) June 4, 2023

“I’ve learned that I’m good enough to win. I always thought I was, but to prove it today was pretty special. I guess I’ve learned a lot from failures, missing cuts by a shot and missing things slightly. So to take those things I’ve learned and put them into play was nice,” said the Irish golfer, whose best finish this season had been tied-12th at the Singapore Classic..

Select Final Scores:

283 T MCKIBBIN 72 69 72 70,
285 M KIEFFER (GER) 69 71 75 70, M SIEM (GER) 71 73 70 71, J GUERRIER (FRA) 72 74 67 72,
287 F LACROIX (FRA) 73 73 71 70,
288 J SMITH (ENG) 70 71 72 75, D LAW (SCO) 75 66 72 75, J AXELSEN (DEN) 77 67 69 75, A BJ?RK (SWE) 72 72 69 75,
290 R LANGASQUE (FRA) 73 75 74 68, R GOUVEIA (POR) 76 73 70 71, C SYME (SCO) 73 77 69 71, P WARING (ENG) 71 72 72 75,
291 B EASTON (RSA) 77 69 76 69, F LAPORTA (ITA) 74 74 74 69, P FIGUEIREDO (POR) 73 74 73 71, R MACINTYRE (SCO) 76 68 74 73, F SCHOTT (GER) 71 75 72 73, E FERGUSON (SCO) 71 72 72 76,
292 M PAVON (FRA) 75 74 72 71, S TARRIO (ESP) 71 72 73 76,

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Meronk, in his 65th DP World Tour event, is the first player from Poland to win on the Tour.

A moment of history @AdrianMeronk | #HorizonIrishOpen pic.twitter.com/zAT27seb0Y

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) July 3, 2022

A final round of 66 gave him a three shot victory over opening day leader Ryan Fox of New Zealand, with Thriston Lawrence of South Africa a further shot back in third.

Fox had posted the clubhouse lead with a final round 64 but Meronk ensured his victory with an eagle on the par 5 seventeenth hole.

Meronk’s round included 5 birdies and an eagle while Fox had posted the round of the day with an eight under par score which included seven birdies and an eagle. Fox’s double bogey on the final hole however left the door open for Meronk who was playing a few groups behind him.

Another first for Meronk

Meronk is used to achieving firsts in his short career so far: he became the first player from Poland to secure a DP World Tour card when he graduated following a 2019 Challenge Tour campaign that included ten top ten finishes; he was the first male Polish player to compete in golf’s four Major Championships when he qualified for the 2021 U.S. Open; he was the first Polish player to win on the European Challenge Tour when he won the 2019 Open de Portugal at Morgado Golf Resort.

Today’s Horizon Irish Open win will see him move to sixth on the DP World Tour Rankings and could move as high as 61^st in the Official World Golf Ranking – a career-best – when they are updated.

Shane Lowry ended the 2020 Horizon Irish Open as the leading Irish player. The Offaly man carded a final round 67 for a five under par round, leaving him in ninth place on -9, eight shots behind the winner.

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Lowry, who teed off at 11.40am, immediately birdied the opening hole. Following a run of pars on the next three holes, the Clara-native claimed his second birdie of the round at the 5th hole.

Further birdies on 10, 11 and and 14, with a bogey in between at the 12th was soon followed by his sixth birdie of the day at the penultimate hole. With a par on the last, Lowry finished the tournament on -12.

Pádraig Harrington had an incredible start to his final round at the Horizon Irish Open. The US Open Senior Champion made 6 birdies in the opening eight holes, and turned in 30.

The closing nine holes were not as successful for the Dubliner however. A double bogey at 10 saw him lose momentum. Bogeys at 16 and 18 with a birdie in between at the seventeenth hole saw the former dual Open Champion end the 2020 Horizon Irish Open on -3 for the round – his best of the week, on an overall score of -7.

Waterford’s Séamas Power had three birdies and an eagle at the par three 6th. He posted a round of four under par, finishing the tournament on seven under par.

Niall Kearney had four birdies and 2 bogeys in a two under par round of 70 and ends this year’s Horizon Irish Open on -4.

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The 29-year-old birdied three of the last four holes at Mount Juliet Estate on Saturday to sit top of the leaderboard on 14 under par.

“I’m quite excited,” admitted Meronk. “Just happy with my score so far. Played pretty solid again today. And, yeah, can’t wait for tomorrow for sure.

“To be honest, the conditions were quite tough. Our first eight holes I would say was just — the rain was on and off. It was actually raining pretty hard for three holes. So that was quite challenging. But you know, being in contention, seeing all these people, it’s quite exciting.”

Meronk was the first Polish player to win on the European Challenge Tour at the 57º Open de Portugal in 2018, before going on to become the first Pole to graduate to the DP World Tour later that year. In 2021, he became the first player to fly the Polish flag in a Major Championship when he teed it up at the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.

Merink is one shot ahead of second round leader Jorge Campillo. The Spaniard currently shares second place with England’s Jack Senior and Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zanotti on 13 under par.

The 2019 Open Champion Shane Lowry currently leads the home charge, having posted a four under par 68 early on Saturday to move to seven under. The Offaly man is seven shots off the lead, however.

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The Waterford man carded a three under par round of 68 today and finds himself on -8, three shots behind the tournament leader Jorge Campillo of Spain.

US Open Senior Champion Pádraig Harrington posted a 72, a shot worse off than his opening round. Today’s round which included 6 birdies, 2 bogeys and a double bogey six on the seventh hole leaves the Dubliner on -3 for the tournament.

An incredible four birdies in the last four holes saw Shane Lowry stay involved at Mount Juliet for the weekend. Prior to the 15^th hole, the Offaly man had four bogeys and only two birdies on his card. His round of 70 left him on the cut-off mark of -3.

Niall Kearney, the joint-leading Irish player yesterday finds himself eight shots off the leader on -3 alongside Shane Lowry after shooting one over par round of 73 in the second round.

Amateurs Mark Power and Colm Campbell Jnr ended their tournament on with rounds of par and three-over par respectively.

The other Irish golfers John Murphy, Cormac Sharvin, Jonathan Cadwell, Paul Dunne and David Higgins all ended their involvement in the 2022 Horizon Irish Open when failing to make the cut.

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The Spaniard shot a second round 68 to go with yesterday’s 65 to finish the halfway stage of the 2022 Horizon Irish Open on -11.

“I played great over the last two days, so I can’t complain” Campillo admitted. “It was a great two days. Today was a little tougher than yesterday and I managed to play okay as well, so I’m quite happy about it.

“It started raining towards the last few holes for you out there. You’re done, you’re finished and you can relax and put your feet up. If the rain does come even harder this afternoon, for the afternoon players, what do you think they can expect?  How will the course play trickier?”

Jorge Campillo is one shot ahead of Poland’s Adrian Meronk and Fabrizio Zanotti of Paraguay who shot 67 and 69 respectively today.

Frederic Lacroix of France and Scotland’s David Law who posted rounds of 70 and 68 respectively on Friday come next at -9.

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Keith Pelley’s statement reads as follows:

“There has been a leak to the media of a letter we received on behalf of a number of LIV Golf players which contains so many inaccuracies that it cannot remain unchallenged.

“Before joining LIV Golf, players knew there would be consequences if they chose money over competition. Many of them at the time understood and accepted that. Indeed, as one player named in the letter said in a media interview earlier this year; ‘If they ban me, they ban me.’ It is not credible that some are now surprised with the actions we have taken.”

Keith Pelley continued:

“The letter claims that these players ‘care deeply’ for the DP World Tour. An analysis of the past participation statistics on our Tour in recent years of several of the leading players named, suggests otherwise.

“One player in particular named in the note has only played six Rolex Series events in the past five years. Another one, only four. I wish many of them had been as keen to play on our Tour then as they seem to be now, based on the fact they have either resigned their membership of the PGA TOUR or, if they are still in membership, have been suspended indefinitely.

The DP Tour Chief Executive added:

“Furthermore, given how deeply these players say they care about the DP World Tour, perhaps some of them could have played in Ireland this week in support of our new title sponsor, in particular one player who gave us a signed commitment to play at Mount Juliet.

“With that player currently in action at Pumpkin Ridge, you can imagine the allegation in the letter that we are in the wrong, is hard to accept.

“We also take great exception to an allegation made near the end of the letter which states we are somehow playing ‘second fiddle’ to the PGA TOUR. Nothing could be further from the truth.

“We held a player meeting in Ireland on Tuesday where we outlined in great detail all the many benefits of our expanded relationship with the PGA TOUR.

“One of those is an unprecedented ten cards on offer to the PGA TOUR, cards that many of the players named in this letter desperately wanted to attain in the early stages of their careers. Why now be critical of those trying to do the same?

“The letter also expresses supposed concern about the future of the DP World Tour. Rest assured no-one should have any worries on that score.

“The DP World Tour is a vibrant, independent and global Tour with increasing and guaranteed prize fund growth over the next five years. We have fantastic tournaments across the year including a host of wonderful national Opens, all played in front of huge crowds, illustrated perfectly by this week’s Horizon Irish Open.

“Finally, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on any potential legal matters.

“I will simply reiterate that our Members’ Regulations which have been in force for more than 30 years, have been accepted by all the players, are there to protect all of our members, and we will use them to take all necessary steps to protect their interests.”

The statement concludes:

“The sanctions for those members who knowingly broke our rules by playing at the Centurion Club without a release are proportionate, fair and, I believe, considered necessary by the majority of our members.”

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Power and Kearney both carded 68s for rounds of -4.

PGA Tour-based Power, who is appearing at the Irish Open for the first time since 2019, had three birdies and two bogeys in the opening nine holes. Further birdies at 10, 16 and 17 meant the Waterford man finished with an opening round of 68.

Thirty-four-year-old Niall Kearney joins Power on -4. The word-ranked number 498 had a bogey at the eight. On the back nine he carded 5 birdies eventually singing for a 68.

US Senior Open Champion Pádraig Harrington, back on Irish soil since his Senior major win last Sunday, was two-under at the turn following birdies at the fifth and eight holes – both par fives – and ended his first round on -2

John Murphy shot a two-under par round of 70, with 69s for Shane Lowry and Jonathan Caldwell seeing them end the day on -1.

Irish amateurs Mark Power and Colin Campbell Jnr both signed for rounds of level par 72, as did Cormac Sharvin.

David Higgins began with an opening round of +6, meaning he has a lot to do in round two on Friday.

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The New Zealander shot eight birdies in an -8 opening round at Thomastown, Co Kilkenny, and holds the clubhouse lead.

“I’m more surprised, to be honest, than anything else” admitted the opening round leader. “I’ve been fighting it on the range the last couple days after the weekend, and certainly didn’t look like it early in the round. I made a couple of birdies, but I was scrapping away, and then stop and collect on 7, 8, hit a great wedge shot in there and made a few putts as well.”

Discussing his round of -8, the New Zealander stated:

“(My) short game kept me in it early and a couple good up-and-downs. My wedge play was really good. I think I hit it stiff on 7, 8, that tee on 7, 8, 1, and 2, and then kind of the birdies there with a wedge, and on top of that holed a couple of nice putts. So it’s just one of those days where everything went really well and I managed to keep it in the fairway for the most part, which around this golf course, if you’re in the rough, that’s pretty tough out there, which I found sort of through the first six holes.”

Frenchman Frederic Lacroix is a shot behind on -7 after his round of 65. He is tied in second place with German Marcel Schneider, Fabrizio Zanotti of Paraguay, and Spaniard Jorge Campillo.

Tied on six under are Antoine Rozner of France, Englishmen Dale Whitnell, Jordan Smith and Aaron Rai, South African Thriston Lawrenece, and Spain’s Pablo Larrazábal.

Séamas Power and Niall Kearney are the leading Irish players after first round 68s for a -4 score.

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