Top 5 European stars missing from the Irish Open 2023 ft. Jon Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood
The DP World Tour now moves to the K Club in Straffan, County Kildare, Ireland, for the 2023 Irish Open, which will be played from Thursday, September 7, to Sunday, September 10. This will be the 68th edition of one of the oldest events on the European Tour.
The 156-player field at the K Club will feature the top players on the DP World Tour, such as Rory McIlroy, Adrian Meronk, and Shane Lowry. However, many prominent names on the European Tour will be absent from this week's action.
Here's a look at five top names missing from the 2023 Horizon Irish Open.
The top five names absent from the 2023 Horizon Irish Open
1) Jon Rahm
The two-time champion of the Irish Open hasn't played here since 2019 and won't be playing this year either. Rahm has competed here three times and won the event in 2017 and 2019.
The Spaniard was last seen at the Tour Championship, where he finished T18 after entering the FedEx Cup Playoffs as No. 1 in the standings.
2) Tommy Fleetwood
Tommy Fleetwood has competed in the Irish Open eight times and was last seen at the event in 2021, where he finished joint 17th. His best result came in 2017 when he finished T10.
Fleetwood didn't play at the Omega European Masters last week. He was last seen at the FedEx Cup, where he finished tied for sixth.
3) Robert MacIntyre
Robert MacIntyre decided to skip this week's event after making it to the Ryder Cup last week via the European Points List. He will be making his debut at the biennial event.
The 26-year-old Scot had played in the Irish Open last year and finished joint 13th. He has recorded six top-10 finishes in 20 starts this year and currently sits in seventh position in the Race to Dubai standings.
4) Matt Fitzpatrick
Matt Fitzpatrick has decided not to play the Irish Open after competing at last week's Omega European Masters. He finished third at the event and secured an automatic spot in the upcoming Ryder Cup.
The 29-year-old Englishman last competed at the Irish Open in 2018 and failed to make the cut. His best finish at the event was T8 in 2017, his only top-10 finish in five starts.
5) Viktor Hovland
Viktor Hovland is also not in action at this week's event. The 25-year-old Norwegian had a memorable season as he claimed three titles, including the 2023 FedEx Cup. He will next compete at the BMW PGA Championship, which will take place from September 14 to September 17.