Martin Kaymer is relishing the chance to soak up the "great atmosphere" at the K Club after committing to the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open next month.
Kaymer will be making his fourth appearance in the €4m tournament, with a tied tenth finish at Adare Manor in 2008 his best performance to date.
The German has not won a regular European Tour event for five years – his last victory was the 2014 US Open Championship – but he will have been encouraged by a top six finish on his last outing at Valderrama two weeks ago.
He'll be joined by a host of fellow Ryder Cup players and European Tour winners in Co Kildare for the 61st edition of Ireland’s national Open, which will again be hosted by Rory McIlroy’s charitable foundation.
“It’s going to be a big summer for a lot of players, and I’ll be looking to get off to the perfect start at the Irish Open," said the 31-year-old.
"The crowds always turn up and show their support, and that’s one of the main reasons why I enjoy playing in Ireland."
"I’ve only played The K Club once, in the 2007 European Open, and although it maybe wasn’t my best week on the course, I can remember being really impressed by it.
“The Irish people love their golf and really get behind the players, so it should make for a great atmosphere, especially with such a strong field there. The crowds always turn up and show their support, and that’s one of the main reasons why I enjoy playing in Ireland.”
A strong showing at The K Club under the watchful eye of European captain Darren Clarke would enhance Kaymer’s claims for a fourth straight Ryder Cup appearance.
Similarly, Spaniard Rafa Cabrera Bello, the English trio of Matt Fitzpatrick, Andy Sullivan and Chris Wood, defending champion Søren Kjeldsen of Denmark, and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger will also be looking to forward their cases for inclusion in Europe’s line-up.
Cabrera Bello, Kjeldsen, Fitzpatrick and Sullivan all currently occupy automatic qualifying places for The Ryder Cup, while McIlroy and Masters Tournament champion Danny Willett – who will also be teeing up at The K Club – have already confirmed their places at Hazeltine National in September.
Tickets for this year’s Dubai Duty Free Irish are priced at only €30 per day with a season ticket costing just €70 for the entire four days, from 19-22 May.
A portion of all tickets sales this year will go towards the Rory Foundation which was established by Rory McIlroy in 2013 to help children live better lives by raising funds and offering support to children’s charities around the world.
