Big hearted Rory McIlroy will play golf with the highest bidder to help a child in his battle with epilepsy.

The son of Hollywood green-keeper Robert Bucanan- three-year old Carter, needs expensive treatment in Chicago.

And McIlroy hopes to raise thousands towards his expenses by organising an auction to play a fourball with him at Lough Erne Golf Resort in Fermanagh on July 23.

McIlroy said: "There's a green keeper at my golf club whose son is three years old. And he's got quite serious epilepsy. He had it when he was a baby, and he used to have 16 to 20 seizures a day.

"They have to come over to Chicago to get treatment for this young boy maybe six or seven times a year. It costs them a lot of money. And they've got his seizures down to about one to two times a day, which is great.

"They just want to try and help him to lead a normal life."

McIlroy will take on Padraig Harrington in a $300,000 head to head at Lough Erne on July 22.

But the winner of the auction set to run on his website - www.rorymcilroy.com - will be flown up to see the matches and then get a chance to play golf with him the following day.

McIlroy said: "We'll fly the winner of the auction in to watch the match, stay that night at Lough Erne and play a round of golf the next day. And hopefully that will raise a bit of money for Carter and help him on his way to try to lead a normal life.

"It's for a great cause. And I'm very, very happy to do it. And I've known Robert for a long time. He's been a green keeper at Holywood for a while. So I've known him growing up. So anything I could do to help his child, I would."