Irish Open: How to watch, TV channel, course details and more

The 68th edition of the Irish Open takes place at Royal County Down in Northern Ireland this week and a stellar field, headlined by Rory McIlroy, will be battling for the spoils.

How to watch Irish Open and TV Channel

The tournament can be followed on bet365's Live Golf Tracker, which offers real-time shot-by-shot data.

Thursday's opening round will be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Golf from 13:00 BST, while Friday's coverage will begin at 08:00 BST on those same two channels.

Coverage of Saturday's third round starts at 12:00 BST on the red button on Sky Sports Golf and the last round on Sunday is available to watch on Sky Sports Xtra from 12:00 BST.

Irish Open dates and times

The tournament will run from Thursday 12th September to Sunday 15th September, with the first tee time expected to be 07:30 BST on the Thursday.

Irish Open course details and venue

Royal County Down is back to stage this event for the first time since 2015 and it will be the fifth time in total the course has hosted, having also done so in 1928, 1935 and 1939.

This par 71 measures 7,186 yards is one of the toughest links courses in the world, with thick rough penalising wayward drives and fast, dome-shaped greens putting a premium on approach shots.

Irish Open stats and past winners

Vincent Norrman became the second Swedish player to win the Irish Open last year, following Patrik Sjoland's success in 2000, when he overcame German Hurly Long by one stroke at The K Club.

The inaugural edition took place back in 1927 when George Duncan lifted the trophy at Portmarnock and the 2024 tournament will be the 68th staging.

Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer and Colin Montgomerie have all won the competition a joint-record three times, while Denmark's Soren Kjeldsen was the last player to triumph at Royal County Down in 2015.

Irish Open this year's notable players

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy won this tournament in 2016 at The K Club and he heads the betting at 15/2, although he missed the cut at this course in 2015 and may be a touch burnt out following a long year.

Irishman Shane Lowry, who triumphed at County Louth in 2009 as an amateur, is priced at 9/1 to claim the spoils for a second time, while England's Aaron Rai is next in the market at 14/1.

Scotsman Robert MacIntyre is available at 20/1, just ahead of 22/1 shots Thomas Detry and Rasmus Hojgaard, while Seamus Power is 25/1 and Thriston Lawrence is a 28/1 chance.

Read the latest tips, predictions and odds for the Irish Open