After flying to Shannon Airport, President Donald Trump is expected to travel by helicopter to Doonbeg for the Irish Open, arriving around the time Shane Lowry is expected to tee off.
Shane Lowry is currently leading the Irish Open, but his tee time for the third round coincides with the arrival of US President Donald Trump.
President Trump carried out a whirlwind tour of Dublin, meeting President Catherine Connolly, Taoiseach Micheál Martin and US Ambassador to Ireland, Edward Walsh before making his way out West for the golfing event.
Lowry is currently three shots ahead of his closest competitor, Danish golfer Niklas Moller, with -11 to -8.
While he might be hoping to get his third round off without a hitch, the arrival of President Trump might cause a little chaos for the Irish golfer, as play will have to stop to allow the helicopter to land.
Speaking on The Pat Kenny Show, chief reporter Barry White, who's at Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg, explained: "President Trump will fly to Shannon Airport, where he's expected to arrive shortly before 2:00pm.
"Marine One [helicopter] will then take him from Shannon to Doonbeg with the President due here at the resort sometime between 2:30pm and 3:00pm, I'm told.
"So, he'll actually be arriving here just as the leader of the Irish Open, Shane Lowry, is due to get his third round underway. He's teeing off at 2:30pm.
"So President Trump's arrival is expected to bring a halt to play here for around 15 or 20 minutes, as the helicopter will land at a helipad that has been specially built just after third tee here.
"It's unheard of at a golf event like this, that play would be interrupted and disrupted. And I suppose for the players, you know, the whole aim of the game is you have to be totally focused and I don't think Shane Lowry will appreciate being interrupted as he's just about to tee off.
"I'm told that they will try to keep the disruption to a minimum, but as I said, it's beside the third tee box, so it's going to be very, very difficult to keep the disruption to a minimum."
Something else that could disrupt play is the weather, with heavy rain overnight and strong winds this morning.
As some rounds were already taking players six-hours to complete without the expected disruptions for Saturday, there is a chance that the third round won't be completed by the end of the day.
Mr White added: "We also saw the Irish Open go to a playoff last year, so there is at least a possibility that the tournament could spill into Monday."
Main image: Shane Lowry throws a ball to spectators, Picture by: AP
