Top Golfing Stars cut the ribbon at Adare Manor.

World’s top golfing stars Rory McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Padraig Harrington and Shane Lowry cut the ribbon at The Golf Course at Adare Manor on Friday 20th April, hitting the inaugural tee shots of the wholly-reconstructed Tom Fazio design, while competing in a €500,000 charity match.

McIlroy and McGinley played against Lowry and Harrington, with each pair returning a four-ball better ball stroke play total of four-under-par 68. The match was witnessed by 1,500 spectators and marked the official opening of the new course. As a result of their joint success, each pair will donate €250,000 to their chosen charities, including The Rory Foundation, The McGinley Foundation, Temple Street Children’s University Hospital and the Padraig Harrington Charitable Foundation.

Commenting on the new course, McIlroy said, “The golf course is absolutely incredible. With the weather we’ve had for the last few months, to have a course presented like this is phenomenal, so that’s credit to all of the work of the greens staff over the winter. It was a fantastic day.”

Colm Hannon, Chief Executive Officer of Adare Manor, said: “The Exhibition Match to officially open The Golf Course at Adare Manor has been a huge success and we owe a great deal of thanks to each of the players – Rory, Padraig, Paul and Shane – who have made this such an entertaining and memorable day for all of our guests. With the support of the McManus Family, we are also delighted that this occasion will benefit a number of very worthy causes and create an instant legacy for the golf course.”

JP McManus has made no secret of his ambition to house the 2026 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor which was originally designed by the late Robert Trent Jones and now transformed into a world-class lay-out by another leading American architect, Tom Fazio.