With world No 3 Rory McIlroy set to begin his push for his sixth Race to Dubai win, Shane Lowry chasing his first individual win since the 2022 BMW PGA and Séamus Power joining them in his quest for vital Ryder Cup qualifying points, there’s lots at stake. Here are some of the key questions:
What’s next for McIlroy after a year of more Major frustration?
The Holywood ace said at the Tour Championship that it’s been a tiring season and plans to play less going forward, though he has five DP World Tour starts remaining. But after admitting in Paris that he’s tired of being the “nearly man” and that he’d developed a habit of hitting the wrong shot at the wrong time, what does he plan to change heading into the Masters to make his 11th attempt to complete the career Grand Slam?
Is the Holywood star finally ready to move to the London area with his family full-time? As one of the players begging for the PGA Tour to do a deal with PIF to solve what he’s described as “the shit show the game of golf is right now”, is his end-of-season exhibition match with Scottie Scheffler against LIV’s Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka some sort of message to PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan? And what can it achieve?
Will Lowry or his management response to requests for comment over his sponsorship agreement with Cavan-based Kingspan in the wake of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry?
Initially, there has been a wall of silence from the Offaly ace and his representatives over the findings in the report which heavily criticised Kingspan. Lowry then severed ties with Kingspan this morning.
“Kingspan and I have mutually agreed to discontinue our sponsorship relationship, which we believe to be the right decision for all concerned at this time,” Lowry said in a statement issued by his management company, Horizon Sports Management. “Neither party will be commenting further.”
Lowry has had an excellent season but remains winless as an individual. What does he hope to achieve before the end of 2024 as Ryder Cup qualifying begins?
What are Séamus Power’s goals for the rest of 2024 and how does he plan to make Luke Donald’s side for Rome?
Power will have a strong PGA Tour card in 2025, though he’s not guaranteed starts in all the signature events or any of the Majors as he finished outside the top 50 in the FedEx Cup and is currently ranked 104th in the world.
Does Tom McKibbin feel ready to make the big move to the PGA Tour and has he given the Ryder Cup any thought?
McKibbin can win his PGA Tour card this year as one of the top 10 in the Race to Dubai not already exempt. But what prompted his decision to split with experienced caddie Dave McNeilly and take on Holywood’s Ricky McCormick, who is a newcomer to the caddying game?
Pádraig Harrington makes his 29th Irish Open appearance this week, but can the veteran win it again at 53?
The three-time Major winner been practising at The European Club and after winning the Irish PGA at the Brittas Bay links in 2007 and 2008 (before going on to win The Open the following week), can the tactic work again? The Dubliner led the Irish Open after round one in Royal County Down back in 2015 but faded to finish 43rd.
Royal Dublin’s Max Kennedy (22) and Roganstown’s Seán Keeling (17) are the two amateur invitees, so what can we expect from them this week?
Kennedy is looking to gain tour status via the Global Amateur Pathway, but has he ruled out playing the LIV Golf Promotions event again? Junior Ryder Cup star Keeling has just begun his US collegiate career at Texas Tech, but has the big footsteps of their biggest star Ludvig Aberg to follow.
Can Mark Power, Gary Hurley and Conor Purcell they take advantage of Irish Open invitations?
This trio will want to make their mark as tour players and if they can, it would be a huge boost to their confidence at a crucial stage of the season.
So lots of questions and we haven’t even mentioned what the weather is going to be like – hopefully, we will see some of the above answered in Newcastle this week.